Thursday was a jam-packed day at Conference. Significant speeches by An Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD and general secretary Kevin Callinan gave strong indications that public sector pay talks will begin ahead of the summer.

In his speech the Taoiseach called for deeper social dialogue and was explicit that local bargaining claims should be resolved quickly so that public service pay talks can begin. He also acknowledged that the current remote working legislation is balanced in favour of the employer, indicating that it will be reviewed. 

Read coverage of Conference and the speeches in the Irish Independent here, The Irish Times here, The Irish Examiner here,  on RTE here, and the full speech by Taoiseach Micheál Martin here. Watch the RTE coverage of Conference here, beginning at 16.45.

In his response general secretary Kevin Callinan outlined the union’s priorities ahead of any negotiations, saying there was “an urgency” to address the significant challenges people are facing. On pushing for action on common good issues, he said: “We are no longer prepared to accept that some of these items are ‘off the table’.”

The speeches were followed by spirited debate on motions, and an expert panel discussion on the worker experience of remote work.

Martin Walsh (Louth Health and Local Government) was re-elected as President and Michael Smyth (School Completion branch) was re-elected Treasurer.

Seven in ten Fórsa members who currently work remotely or in hybrid arrangements said they would consider moving role to retain or improve their current level of flexibility, suggesting that flexibility is increasingly viewed by workers as a core condition of employment rather than an optional benefit. You can read the research here.

The survey results feature in media today, in The Irish Times and in the Irish Examiner.

The findings were presented to Conference by researchers Sinead O'Sullivan (Amárach), and Kevin Cunningham (Ireland Thinks). ICTU's Laura Bambrick then moderated a panel discussion, during which they were joined by Dr. Margaret Heffernan (DCU) and Fórsa's director of campaigns, Kevin Donoghue.

We have three fringe events for you to choose from during today's mid-day break. All are just a short walk across the car park to the Brehon Hotel.

In the Brehon Suite 1 from 13.15 – 14.00 you can find In conversation with Donna Schwarz: An activist’s experience on the Freedom Flotilla. Last year, Fórsa member and activist Donna Schwarz took part in a Freedom Flotilla attempt to break Israel’s illegal and inhumane siege of Gaza and deliver aid to its besieged population. 

In the Munster Suite - 13.00 – 14.00 you can find The How’s of Housing fringe event. Fórsa Youth presents a discussion on the housing crisis. Speakers will go into the nuts-and-bolts of the problem and discuss some of the solutions to a crisis that has pushed some many young people out of Ireland.

In the Park Suite from 13.10 – 14.00 you can find The Asian Hornet Queen. Fórsa activist and member of the Irish Beekeepers' Association Colette O’Connell will present a talk on the spread of the invasive species. Highly aggressive, the Asian Hornet, decimates honeybees and other important pollinating insects, destroys  crops and is a danger to human health.

Lunch will be provided at both events.

Today is Go Purple Day, which helps raise awareness of domestic abuse. In support of our colleagues, friends and family who have survived or live with domestic abuse we will be marking and taking part in the day this year at conference.

If you or someone you know would like support, please contact Women’s Aid on 1800 341 900.

We hope to see you all back in the Conference hall tonight, where we will be swapping motions and debates for music and dancing at the Conference Gala dinner.

Doors open at 8pm. Music will be provided by Spring Break. Branches can collect their ticket from the help desk outside the entrance to the Conference hall.

Take a look back at everything that has happened over the day on our Conference photo gallery on our website.