The government yesterday announced a change to the vaccination strategy that will see the removal of some categories in the original 15-cohort strategy and see most people in the country vaccinated by their age. The decision has provoked anger from the likes of gardaí, special needs assistants, and teachers, who had been due to receive vaccines at an earlier stage in the programme. 

Fórsa also put out this statement expressing concern at a surprise re-configuring of the government’s vaccination plan that will see people prioritised by age instead of profession. The Independent, Examiner, RTÉ and the Times all covered Fórsa’s statement this morning.

In response to growing concerns among water staff at local authorities of a looming forced transfer to Irish Water, Sinn Féin TD Pa Daly, put out this statement, saying any transfer of Council water services workers to Irish Water can only be done on a voluntary basis, with a referendum vital to enshrine public ownership and management of the utility. 

In a major push to the 4 day working week campaign, Germany’s largest trade union, IG Metall, agreed a 2.3% wage increase, to be paid either in full or as part of a switch to a four-day week, in a key industrial region, setting the benchmark for 3.9 million metal and engineering workers nationwide. The package is structured with the aim of allowing some workers to move to a four-day week without a significant loss of earnings. Employers and local works councils are now consulting which option to take.

Swedish carmaker Volvo has said it would give its 40,000 employees worldwide the right to six-month paid parental leave in a bid to increase gender equality and attract talent. Employees can take those weeks whenever they like during the first three years after the birth of their child.

For anyone looking to take up a bit of reading this long weekend, I leave you with this year’s International Booker Prize longlist and the shortlist for Dublin’s literary awards, to forage for some recommendations. 

And finally, today’s zen is this Poemathon, which invited older people across the island of Ireland to write a line of poetry. John Sheahan, renowned musician and member of The Dubliners, penned the opening and closing lines of the poem. The collaborative poem, which captures the thoughts and imaginings of older people right now in society, features 355 contributors from across Ireland and is an initiative organised by Poetry Ireland with the Global Brain Health Institute at Trinity College Dublin.