In recent days Fórsa's Services and Enterprises division has been helping to drive the news agenda with members' concerns over the new operator of the Irish Coast Guard search-and-rescue service, while pilots at Emerald Airlines are set to vote on an agreement that will give them trade union recognition and bargaining rights at the airline, which flies the Aer Lingus regional service.

As the schools reopened last week, the Connacht Tribune and other titles reported an historic day for school secretaries across the country because, as of Friday morning (1st September), they’re paid directly through the Department of Education, on a clerical officer salary scale. It's great to be finally able to type that sentence.

Elsewhere, the RTE Brainstorm podcast looks at the work of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), which you can access here.

Zen

Yes the robots are coming, but some of them are just for cuddles. As an alternative to all the gloomy AI think pieces of recent months, this story is about the positive effects of a trial run with therapeutic animatronic animals in care homes last year.  

Which reminds me, Fórsa's offices in Nerney's Court will host a Union Learning event about the explosive rise of AI on Wednesday 20th September. Details here.

Have a splendid week.