Talks between school secretaries and the Department of Education and Skills are to take place in the WRC. The minister announced yesterday evening that he dropped the demand that current industrial action be suspended before agreeing to participate in discussions.

The Irish health system ran a €281 million deficit this year, with HSE CEO claiming they surpassed their budget of €16 billion due to an increasing demand in services because of an ageing demographic, more complex service demands and on-going societal and economic change. On foot of this, the INMO in Cork is calling on the South/South West Hospital Group to set up a task force to address the current overcrowding problem.

A report from a review group will be key to finding a solution to the current impasse over Irish military representative, Pdforra seeking to join the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. An ICTU official told the organisation's conference yesterday that they had a 'quiet giggle' at claims the affiliation would threaten national security. Pdforra president told the conference that conditions for members are so bad that 80 naval personnel are living on boats, some of which were deemed to be unsuitable for accommodation when they were commissioned 35 years ago.

A #RaiseTheRoof protest took place outside the Dáil yesterday, urging Government to implement a motion on housing, which was passed 12 months ago and offered solutions to the country's grave housing crisis. Fórsa is part of this group of over 50 trade unions, political parties, housing agencies, student unions, women's organisations, Traveller groups, children’s rights organisations and housing experts.

Four bidders are interested in the troubled Co Antrim bus-building firm Wrightbus, a Unite trade union official has said. The Ballymena-based company was placed into administration last week with the loss of 1,200 jobs.

And finally, today's Zen happens to be another tap dance related one from me. Here's a video of brothers Fayard and Harold Nicholas dancing in the 1943 film Stormy Weather (very appropriate for today!) Years later, Harold recalled that they never actually rehearsed the jumps over each other’s heads down the stairs and somehow still managed to execute the entire routine in what was a true one take wonder.