Northern Lights
by Niall Shanahan
 
Gemma Dunleavy in Luke McManus's North Circular
Gemma Dunleavy in Luke McManus's North Circular

Also featured in that audio clip is Mick Clifford's story in the Irish Examiner about concerns among Ireland's prison chaplains that their independent reports are being “censored and sanitised” by the Irish Prison Service (IPS) to prevent publicising the conditions in which prisoners are held. My thanks to our colleague Paul Moyer for providing assistance on that story last week.

 

Clifford adds that chaplains employed after 2015 are working on salaries that are 33% lower than those who were already employed, and that this year, most of the chaplains joined Fórsa in response to the hugely reduced conditions under which they are now working. Prison Chaplains came into membership of the Civil Service division in 2020.

 

The Belfast Telegraph picked up the story about the closure of the Aer Lingus base in Belfast, with confirmation from Fórsa that it is to enter a consultation process with the airline on behalf of the 29 cabin crew members there. The Business Post reports that industrial action by rail workers and staff at British airports could curtail demand over the Christmas period,

 

In political news, Leo Varadkar resumed the office of Taoiseach on Saturday. The new Tánaiste Micheál Martin assumes duties at the Department of Foreign Affairs, while Simon Coveney takes the Enterprise and Employment brief from Varadkar. Michael McGrath moves to Finance, while Paschal Donohoe is back at DPER, which has been renamed the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (would its new acronym be...DPENDR?).

 

ICTU has advised affiliates with members in the private sector to seek pay rises of 4 to 7.5% during 2023

 

Meanwhile, Amazon workers at the corporate giant's vast depot in Coventry are poised to go on strike in the new year, demanding pay of £15 an hour, after securing a historic yes vote in a ballot for industrial action. Fair play to them. Elsewhere, a new government report says there should be an overhaul of pay and conditions for Ireland’s retained firefighters as part of efforts to tackle issues with recruitment and retention.

 

Zen

 

My preferred route travelling between home and Nerney's Court, especially if I'm on foot, is via the North Circular Road. This city artery is the focus of Luke McManus's latest documentary North Circular.

 

The film is composed of eight chapters, each focusing on the neighbourhoods situated between the Wellington monument and the Five Lamps, and celebrates each in musical performances by  local artists, including John Francis Flynn, Ian Lynch and Gemma Dunleavy among others.

 

It looks great, I'm hoping to catch it in the cinema later this week (screening times here). For more about the film, do check out the latest episode of the excellent Three Castles Burning podcast.

 

Have a great week and happy Christmas. See you in the new year.

 

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