Here’s a quick look back at some of the most notable IMPACT news that has appeared in the IMPACT News Digest over the past fortnight:
Monday 9th January
IMPACT national secretary Eamonn Donnelly got up bright and early to speak to RTE's Morning Ireland about the health minister's comments over the weekend about sanctioning hospital managers and bringing in "outside experts." Eamonn described the minister's comments as "political deflection" and highlighted that the issue of capacity is central to the trolley crisis. He was also on RTE's TV News at One.
A day earlier, the Sunday Business Post had carried news that IMPACT's cabin crew branch was readying a ballot for industrial action. Elsewhere, the Herald reported that the publication of an independent operational review of the Oberstown campus, commissioned by Minister Katherine Zappone, had been delayed. The report has been completed but missed its December publication deadline. The report is now expected to be published in February.
Tuesday 10th January
In the Times, in an open letter to local government minister Simon Coveney, Mary O’Rourke asks on staffless libraries: ‘Whose daft idea was this?’
Wednesday 11th January
On Wednesday, The Indo reported that 1,000 cabin crew in Aer Lingus, IMPACT members, were to be balloted over selling sandwiches.
Friday 13th January
As the HSE wrote up proposals to avert industrial action by nurses, the Examiner interviewed ICTU's Patricia King, who said that staffing issues must be discussed in forthcoming pay talks.
Tuesday 17th January
Last Tuesday, the ICTU Public Services Committee met in Nerney's Court amid reports that the Cabinet would discuss bringing forward the LRA €1,000 payment due in September. Many media outlets including the Times, asked how the Government would fund the deal, while the Independent bizarrely focussed on those earning over €110,000 (who aren't covered by the package at all). We got a look in on the TV3 News and RTE's 6.01 (you have to scroll down a bit) and there was more union reaction in the Examiner.
Friday 20th January
IMPACT marked Friday's inauguration with a new blog post; Trump’s election was propelled by the rise of precarious work. IMPACT’s 2016 lobbying returns were also published on Friday, ahead of the deadline on Saturday night. IMPACT made a total of 57 submissions about the union's lobbying activity in 2016, the first full year since the online register went live.
The Trump-related zen is also worth revisiting: an open letter that the Washington press corps (the group of journalists that covers the White House beat) sent to the (then) President Elect.
Monday 23rd January
There was little coverage on the weekend papers of last week's public service pay announcement, although the Sunday Business Post carried news that the Government wants to have a successor to the Lansdowne Road Agreement before October's budget, and that a new deal would cover the period up to the end of Brexit negotiations in 2019.
With growing concerns about the automation of work, and the possibility that we'll be competing with robots for work in the not-too-distant future, RTE's The Business on Saturday looked at the issue. The report includes IMPACT's response to proposals for staffless libraries. Niall Shanahan (IMPACT Communications Officer) spoke to Evelyn O'Rourke for the programme, you can listen back here.
