Minister for Health Simon Harris has described the reaction of health service trade unions to the coronavirus as “amazing.” He also described the reports of trade unions telling the HSE they will not accept a ban on industrial action or unilateral decisions to outsource services as proposed in a plan by health managers for dealing with the coronavirus outbreak as unfair. "The position taken by the trade unions was a technical detail and there was no evidence of any unions using the virus to gain the upper hand," said Mr. Harris. Read more about it here.

Both Aer Lingus and Ryanair have announced the full suspension of their flight schedules both into and out of Italy. It follows the decision from the Italian government to put the country into an effective lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19.

The Irish Pharmacy Union has warned against the practice of ordering extra quantities of medicines, as it will disrupt existing stock levels and hamper the supply of medicines for other patients.

New statistics from the Government-sponsored "Balance for Better Business” initiative show that positive change is happening in relation to gender balance on corporate boards and in senior management of companies. Female representation on ISEQ 20 boards is now 26.3% which exceeds the interim target by the end of 2020 set by review Group.

Unions representing staff at RTÉ have strongly condemned moves by management to unilaterally freeze the payment of incremental pay rises to nearly 500 staff at the broadcaster. The RTÉ Trade Union Group (TUG) said it was unacceptable that staff who had not yet reached the top of their pay scale would be affected “at a time when management continues to refuse to address the culture of excessive pay at certain levels within the organisation”.

Overseas, former vice president Joe Biden seized the key state of Michigan in the Democratic presidential primary to deal a blow to rival Bernie Sanders.

Finally, today’s zen is a rescue dog Ted, that has been making a splash on the Grand Canal in Dublin. Enjoy!