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The magazine forFórsa members

Issue No5Winter-Spring 2019 In this issue

Fórsa’s first yearPresident Ann McGeeGender equality: getting the balance right in Fórsa 2019 goals: expanding sectorsand career progressionThe other faces of educationWomen’s Equality NetworkThe Future of Work: a four-day week‘Always on’ work culture, and other things that can kill youCultural activist and icon Tonie Walsh

Plus all the latest union news with food, music, culture, travel and competitions.

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Fórsa: One year on

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Winter-Spring 2019

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Leading fromthe frontFórsa: One year on

One year on and

looking good Fórsa

AS WE mark the first year of Fórsa in this edition, and look forward to a full andchallenging year ahead in 2019, I am keen to express my personal gratitude to all ofthe people who’ve worked so hard to make this past year a success.

In particular, I wish to express my appreciation to the former officers from the threeforerunner organisations; Margaret Coughlan, Patricia Fanning, Michael Barry, KevinO’Malley, Alan Hanlon, Paddy Quinn, Paul O’Halloran, Terry Kelleher, Alan Duffy andMark Wynne. Also, my renewed thanks to Pat Fallon and Niall McGuirk, with whom Iserved as joint president in the first half of 2018.

Thanks also to our chief negotiators in the amalgamation process, former presidentsJerry King and Tony Conlon.

I’ve received a warm welcome from union branches as AGM season gets underway.It’s been a pleasure to meet the Aer Lingus Cabin Crew, SENOs, Ag No 1 andLongford Clerical branches so far.

I was delighted to be invited to the launch of the Sligo/Leitrim trades councilrecently. It was a very successful evening, well supported by all unions across thecounties, and chaired by our own Richy Carrothers. Speakers included Fórsa deputygeneral secretary Kevin Callinan and an inspirational speech from youth activistIrene Tiernan.

At the last meeting of Fórsa’s national executive in December, it was great to get abriefing from lead organisers Joe, Orlagh, and Julie on campaigning, strategicdevelopment and training and all the work being carried out by our organising team.

I’ve also enjoyed being involved with the great work by our branch campaign officers,and I wish to acknowledge the work of our communications team, keeping us allinformed of union issues.

I’d like to thank my fellow officers – Maura, Kevin, Michael and Eugene – for theirhard work, and to express our thanks to all Fórsa staff for their hard work during2018.

As the New Year gets underway, let’s remember the colleagues, friends and familywe lost during this past year.

My thanks to all the Fórsa activists for their diligent hard work, and the time theygive so freely to the union, and my thanks too to Fórsa members for their continuedsupport.

I’m looking forward to the union’s continuing success in 2019, let’s continue toachieve that together.

1The magazine for Fórsa members

President’s foreword

Fórsa is produced by Fórsa tradeunion's Communications Unit andis edited by Niall Shanahan.Deputy editor Roisin McKane.

Front cover: L-R: Anita O’Reilly,Angela Kirk, Ann McGee, FlorenceHickey and Fiona Fallon attendingthe Women’s Equality Network on3rd November this year.Photo: Conor Healy,pictureitphotograpphy.ie

Ann McGee, Fórsa President

January 2019


A YEAR ago we were putting thefinishing touches to launching the newunion. One year on, it’s appropriate toreflect back on what we’ve achieved sofar. The examples that stand out aredisputes like those we encountered inRoscommon and IALPA’s dispute withRyanair.

There was also the breakthrough on newentrants. The newly agreed measuresidentify two points on each pay scale –year four and year eight – which newentrant public servants will now skip.

Looking ahead, our School Secretariesbranch are gearing up now for their payequality campaign, and have beenwinning support for their efforts inrecent months.

Our Special Needs Assistants brancheshave also been responding to the NCSEproposals published last year, and we’realso gearing up for a busy conference

season in the Spring.

Elsewhere, the union has been focusingon the future of Irish Water. Last yearthe government invited unions toengage in a WRC-assisted processaimed at creating a framework for theproposed transfer to a single waterutility by 2021.

This would be four years before theexpiry of existing service levelagreements (SLAs) between Irish Waterand local councils, and a referendum tounderpin public ownership and controlof the utility is high on the union agenda.

2019 may go down in history as theyear of Brexit (or will it?). It seems likelyto dominate this year’s nationalconversation yet again, regardless ofwhat happens at 11pm on Friday 29thMarch.

Looking much further into the future, we

bring you reports and perspective onthe future of the working week. This wasthe focus of a major internationalconference hosted by Fórsa toward theend of 2018, winning substantial mediacoverage (and a surprising level ofsupport and engagement from mediaand employer groups) on the futurepotential of a four-day week.

Elsewhere we bring you a selection ofculture, food and opinion items with aforward looking perspective. In thisedition our Culture Vulture column takesa look at the latest show from theatreinnovators thisispopbaby. I Am TonieWalsh is set to tour the country thisyear. It’s a story of activism, bothpersonal and universal, setting its sightson the need to keep fighting: forhousing, for human rights and for asustainable future.

Let’s get on with it n

In this issue

2 Winter-Spring 2019

FÓRSA: ONE YEAR ON

UNION NEWS ..............................................................................................................................4Snapshots from the news desk

A PRESIDENT’S VIEW................................................................................................................8We talk to union president ANN McGEE

A GOOD START ........................................................................................................................11Perspectives from general secretaries SHAY CODY and EOIN RONAYNE

PICTURING GENDER ..............................................................................................................12A special infographic on Fórsa’s gender composition

CAREER PROGRESSION ......................................................................................................14The year ahead in Health and Welfare, we talk to ÉAMONN DONNELLY

THE LONG GAME......................................................................................................................16We talk to PETER NOLAN about this year’s challenges in Local Authorities

EXPANDING SECTORS ..........................................................................................................18Services and Enterprises head ANGELA KIRK on a tumultuous year

CIVIL SERVICE ........................................................................................................................20DEREK MULLEN reflects on the first Fórsa year in Civil Service

OTHER FACES ..........................................................................................................................22Fórsa’s Education division grows stronger, we spoke to KEVIN CALLINAN

IN PICTURES: EQUALITY NETWORKS ..............................................................................24The first network, Women’s Equality, launched in November 2018

IN PICTURES: THE FUTURE OF WORK..............................................................................26CONOR HEALY captures the images from our special working time event

FOUR DAY WEEK......................................................................................................................28It’s time to talk about why we need to change working time

WORK IS A FOUR LETTER WORD ......................................................................................32Always on? That stuff’ll kill you says AINGEALA FLANNERY

EAT WELL....................................................................................................................................34DANIEL DEVERY suggests you ignore the glut of New Year diet advice

TRAVEL PLANS ........................................................................................................................36Looking for somewhere different? UNA-MINH KAVANAGH is on the case

CULTURE VULTURE ................................................................................................................38Tonie Walsh, an icon of cultural activism and social change

BOHEMIAN ROCKETMAN ....................................................................................................40RAYMOND CONNOLLY on the gods of rock coming to a cinema near you

WIN WIN WIN..............................................................................................................................43Crossword, competitions and prize survey

Look aheadWinter-Spring 2019

3

Climate change

8

One year On

12

Gender equality

14

Careerprogression

38

Culture vulture

Niall Shanahan.

Fórsa is officially one year old. In this edition we reflect on the yearthat’s passed, but more importantly we look ahead to the future.

Editorial


News


Public sector pay improvesCIVIL AND public servants receive theirlatest union-negotiated pay and pensionlevy boosts from 1st January.

Under the Public Service StabilityAgreement (PSSA), pay will go up by 1%for those earning €30,000 a year orless. The pension levy threshold will alsorise to €32,000, bringing a netimprovement of €325 a year for most.

There’s a further boost for those whojoined the public service after January2013 – and who are in the single publicservice pension scheme. They will nowpay only two-thirds of the pension levyrate – a figure that will fall to one-third

next year.

The PSSA, which was negotiated byFórsa and other unions in 2017, willalso deliver another 1.75% salaryadjustment for all in September. Furtherpay boosts and another adjustment inthe pension levy threshold are due nextyear.

The PSSA was accepted in ballots ofthe members of the three unions thatamalgamated to create Fórsa last year.It will also see an end to the pensionlevy on any non-pensionable elementsof public service incomes from January2019.

Earlier last year, the union also insistedon early measures to address the ‘newentrants’ pay issue even though, underthe agreement, this was not bound to bedealt with until 2020 at the earliest.

Fórsa has also called on the PublicService Pay Commission to start itswork on recruitment and retentionissues in the civil service and the healthand social care professions, which isalso covered by the agreement.

Non-pay provisions in the PSSA includestrong protections against outsourcing.

Unions target payadjustments in 2019ICTU’S PRIVATE sector committee hasset a target of 3.4% for private sectorpay settlements in 2019. Thecommittee also said it wants to secureadditional benefits and continue toaddress ‘legacy issues’ in private sectoremployments.

The 3.4% target is up from a 3.1%ambition it set for 2018. Unions say thetarget takes account of expectedinflation in regard to personalconsumption, as well as increases in thecost of housing and other necessities.

Additional benefits such as improvedannual leave, bonus payments, pensionsand vouchers, have also been anincreasingly common feature ofagreements in recent years.

Head of Fórsa’s Services andEnterprises Division Angela Kirk, who isa member of the ICTU committee, saidthe union had reached a number ofagreements in the private sector andcommercial semi-state bodies last year.These include a 3% basic salaryincrease in Dublin Airport Authority in athree-year agreement for the period upto 2019.

Angela added that Aer Lingus non-pilotgrades agreed an 8.5% deal, to be paidover 39 months from April 2017, withscope for further increases linked toproductivity.

Career progression top priority for 2019

CAREER PROGRESSION for healthservice staff will be the top priority forFórsa’s Health and Welfare Division in2019, according to its nationalsecretary Éamonn Donnelly.

In an interview for this edition of Fórsamagazine (see page 14), he said thiswould entail protecting and extendingthe recently-won job evaluation scheme,while agreeing additional careerprogression paths for health and socialcare professionals.

The division’s elected executive alsoagreed to prioritise winning a stafftransfer policy, with regional clerical andadmin panels, when it met in Decemberto iron out its priorities for 2019.

Meanwhile, the union will continue topush for the Public Service PayCommission to start work onrecruitment and retention issues forhealth and social care professionalgrades.

Éamonn also wants a more coordinatedapproach to hospital groups within theunion, whose branch and regional

Limerick Soviet

centenary

publication:

submissions

sought

THE LIMERICK Writer’ Centre proposeto publish an anthology of writings andartistic material in conjunction with theLimerick Soviet 100 Committee’sspecial celebrations of the 100thanniversary of the Limerick Soviet.

Fórsa members are invited to submitmaterial for the publication, illustratingon their thoughts on the 1919 Sovietand/or its legacy for Ireland in 2019.

The Limerick Soviet was a self-declaredsoviet that existed from 15th to 27thApril 1919.

A general strike was organised by theLimerick Trades and Labour Council, asa protest against the British Army'sdeclaration of a "Special Military Area"under the Defence of the Realm Act,which covered most of Limerick city anda part of the county. The soviet ran thecity for the period, printed its ownmoney and organised the supply of food.

The event made world, as well asnational headlines, at the time, and isstill seen, internationally, as a majoroccurrence in labour history.

Local and national figures will be invitedto contribute to the publication. It will beedited by Dominic Taylor and John Liddyand published by The Limerick Writers'Centre in 2019, the centenary year.

Submissions should be made to theLimerick Writer Centre, 12 BarringtonStreet, Limerick, Ireland([email protected]) by28th February 2019.

Centenary – An anthology celebratingthe Limerick Soviet 1919 is due to bepublished no later than October 2019.

structure is not aligned to new HSEhospital structures. And he said theexecutive wants to “take ownership” ofstrategy to increase union membershipin Fórsa grades.

Above all, Éamonn said he wasdetermined that the union would beleading debates about health servicepolicy and development in hospitals,primary and community care, andprevention and health promotion.

“The public and political debate hardlyever moves beyond waiting lists andtrolleys. Those issues are real, but theyare symptoms of a much wider set of

concerns and problems about capacityand investment right across the service,including in prevention and healthpromotion as well as primary andcommunity services. Fórsa needs to beat the forefront of that debate,” he said.

Read the full interview on page 14.

Éamonn Donnelly.

Congress welcomes

disability threshold rise

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has welcomed a significant increase inthe amount of money people with disabilities can earn before they lose theirmedical card.

The Government recently announced that the so-called ‘income disregard’ wouldrise from €6,000 a year to €22,000. ICTU called this a “significant developmentin removing barriers to employment for people with disabilities.”

Unions believe the change, which is in line with a recommendation in the 2017inter-departmental report ‘Make Work Pay,’ will remove the fear of losing a medicalcard for many people with disabilities who want to work.

People with disabilities are currently only half as likely to be in employment asother people of working age.

Photo: dreamstim

e.com

Photo: dreamstim

e.com

News


Deirdre Glynn retires from

Fórsa’s Galway office

DEIRDRE GLYNN has retired from Fórsa’sGalway office after 18 years of service. Deirdreworked as a cleaner at the office, and was afamiliar and friendly face to visitors at theGalway office throughout her time there.

The Galway branch of Fórsa had a dinner inDeirdre’s honour and presented her with a gift onher retirement. All the staff and branch membersin Galway wish Deirdre and her husband, Mixie(both pictured) a happy and healthy retirementand best wishes for the future.

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Oireachtas Ushers raise

funds for Brother KevinFÓRSA’S OIREACHTAS Ushers branchhas raised more than €3,300 in aid ofBrother Kevin of the Capuchin DayCentre for Homeless People in BowStreet in Dublin.

The money was raised when the branchhosted a race night event to mark itsannual Christmas function in December.The branch represents just over 60ushers working in the houses of theOireachtas.

Branch chairperson Gerry Wilsonexplained “The branch committeedecided this year to organise a charitycomponent to coincide with our nightout in Kennedy's pub on Westland Row.

“Brother Kevin is a great man andrequires no introduction. He wasactually there in person to receive thedonation from our branch. I must saythat during his speech, you could hear apin drop,” he said.

The Capuchin Day Centre welcomespeople in need of food aid who have nohome or are socially excluded and

provides food, family facilities, clothing,showers and advocacy for peopleexperiencing homelessness.

Kilkenny GDPR training

Kilkenny Health & Local Government Branch held a GDPR training eventlast November. The training was delivered by Gordon Kelly of BHConsulting and covered, in practical terms, how the legislation will affectbranches.

Representatives from Fórsa’s Carlow, Wexford, Kerry, Waterford, SouthTipperary and Kilkenny branches attended, along with assistant generalsecretary Shay Clinton.

The centre provides around 700 hotmeals a day, and 1,700 food parcels aweek.

Brother Kevin, Capuchin Day Centre, was in attendance at the Oireachtas Ushers branch event to receive their donation.

Deirdre Glynn (centre) celebrates her retirementfrom Fórsa with her husband Mixie (right) and Fórsa

assistant general secretary Padraig Mulligan.


seen quite a bit of organisationalchange, others are hoping to see whatcan be achieved.”

ImpressionsWhile Ann has been struck by the levelof hard work and commitment bymember activists up and down thecountry, the union’s School Secretariesand four SNA branches have left a veryparticular impression. “These arepredominantly female branches, withmembers in low paid work.

“The school secretaries have been along time trying to break boundaries andI’m delighted to see them launch theircampaign for pay equity this year. TheSNA branches have also been veryactive in talking to members about lastyear’s review by the NCSE and itsrecommendations.

“These are branches that have beenvery proactive in reaching out acrossthe union for support, and I’m delightedto work with them to achieve that,” shesays.

RoscommonAnn addressed the rally to supportworkers at Roscommon County Councillast June and accused the council ofwasting resources in a “needless and

‘bloody-minded” crusade againstflexibility in the delivery of publicservices.

Ann said flexibility over working timeworked in the interests of localgovernment services and service-users,just as it does for the staff who providethem.

The dispute had provoked the first everFórsa strike. In her address Ann said:“This is a bit of labour history thatnobody wanted to make. We are publicservants who care deeply about theservices we provide in our localcommunities, and none of uscontemplate strike action lightly. Butequally, we have a responsibility tostand up against injustice – and toprotect and defend workers’ rights,which have been hard-won by previousgenerations,” she said.

She describes the rally as a significanthighlight of 2018.

“When you see an attack like that onfamily-friendly workplace initiatives,you’re aware that if it can be allowed tohappen in Roscommon today, it couldhappen anywhere else tomorrow. Ourmembers understood that, andresponded to that, and the solidarityshown at the rally was huge, strong andvery encouraging,” she says.

RyanairAnn was on the picket line with Ryanairpilots on four out of the five days ofstrike action taken by pilots last Julyand August.

“It was important for the pilots to knowthey had a link to the wider unionthrough my contact with them, and itwas very helpful for me to spend timewith them on the picket line and to meetand talk to a group of union membersthat work in a very differentenvironment.

“As a result of the dispute we saw theFórsa name established throughoutEurope and other parts of the world.What’s interesting now is meetingpeople from other organisations whoknow who we are because of thedispute, who are interested in how it allhappened.

“Many of those conversations are abouthow it took almost 30 years to get intothat particular space, and that it wasn’tan overnight success. Crucially, we alsosigned agreements with Ryanair andtheir agencies to represent cabin crew,giving Fórsa exclusive rights torepresent these workers, which was ahuge achievement.”

One Year On: Fórsa President


ANN McGEE IS a clerical officer andworks in the Department ofEmployment Affairs and SocialProtection in the Sligo Pensions Office.She lives in Dromahair in CountyLeitrim, and family life is busy with herhusband David and two teenagers.

Ann was a CPSU branch activist forseveral years, working daily withmembers on a range of issues. Beforethe amalgamation that created Fórsa,Ann was president of the CPSU, andone of the union’s three joint presidentsin its early months.

Ann firmly believes all our voices areneeded to address the persistentinequalities in our society, and is verysupportive of members and unionrepresentatives that have shownleadership in the area of women’s rights,disability and, as she describes it,“fighting for equality for all.”

“The amalgamation itself, the creation ofFórsa last year, was a very significantachievement. From the start the unionwas a force to be reckoned withbecause of the size and reach of ourmembership.

earlier than planned, was also awelcome example of what we canachieve,” says Ann.

Ann mentions the wide range of issueswhere she feels positive about what theunion can achieve, including the futureof Irish Water, school completionprogrammes and the union’s equalitynetworks. “We’re also leading the way onthe debate about the four-day workingweek (see page 31) and it was great tosee such a strong Fórsa attendance atlast October’s ‘Raise the Roof’ rally.”

Fórsa president, Ann McGee.

Niall Shanahan.

ANN McGEE was elected president of Fórsa at the union’sinaugural conference in May 2018. As Fórsa president, Ann isconscious that she is a new face at the top table of the union, andhas a strong belief in applying new ideas and strategies to putmembers first. To begin with, she’s taken to the road in her firstyear to meet as many members as possible.

It’s all aboutthe members

“Many people would have askedthemselves, in the earliest days, wherewill Fórsa make its mark? We asked thatof ourselves, and the disputes inRoscommon and at Ryanair answeredthat question, and showed us how muchcould be achieved, while a successfuloutcome on new entrants pay, two years

Ann McGee taking part in a march earlier this year in support of Roscommon workers.

“From the start the unionwas a force to be

reckoned with becauseof the size and reach of

our membership.”Since becoming president, Ann hasplayed a very active and visible role inthe union, and continues to emphasiseher focus on the voice of Fórsa’smembers.

Achievements“We’ve achieved a lot, we need to stayfocused, and continue working togetherto carve out a shared future for all themembers of the union.

“It’s not about me, it’sabout the members, andthat’s where I like to keep

my focus, that’s whatdrives me.”

Ann says the next big challenge will bethe next round of talks for a national payagreement, following the expiration ofthe PSSA next year. “We will be enteringthose talks as a much larger, moreunified union. I think members will beinterested to see how that works out, aswell as people outside the organisation.”

Ann made a commitment early in herpresidency that she wanted to get outand meet as many members of the unionas possible, and has followed throughon that commitment, meeting branchesup and down the country to find outmore about what union members arethinking about.

“Most members I meet are keen to see achange in what a larger union can do.While members in the Civil Service andServices and Enterprises divisions have continued on page 10.

One Year On: Fórsa President


On the roadAnn describes the average workingweek as president: “Hectic! I pack a caron a Monday and I possibly don’t gethome again until Saturday.”

Ann and I talk about how, for almostevery member in the union, the goldstandard of communication is the face-to-face contact they have with theirlocal reps. Ann recognises this andwants her presidency, as much aspossible, to compliment thatrelationship with members.

to be visible to those members, and alsothat I’m contactable and approachable.I’ve spent time with each of thedivisional executives too, in order to geta better feel for the issues they’redealing with.”

Ann has also taken up invitations to asmany branch AGMs as possible, makingfor a very busy start to 2019 as AGMseason is in full swing. She’s keen tomeet lots of Civil Service branches inorder to see how things are going forpeople as we mark a year of Fórsa’sexistence.

“The process of change is stillhappening for some branches of theunion, and I’m keen to hear what thatexperience has been like for people. Iwant to be able to answer theirquestions and to reaffirm that we’re allworking toward building a bigger,stronger union for all members. Ourstrength lies not just in recruiting newpeople, but also in retaining our existingmembers.”

Reaching outConcerned about a possible ‘disconnect’with younger people, Ann is very keen toexplore initiatives to boost trade unionawareness and civil societyengagement among teenagers.

“I’d like to ensure they’re better aware ofwhat union membership can offer whenthey enter the workplace, as well asaware of how much power they have ascitizens with a vote. I’d like to see whatwe could do to boost that in secondaryschools, especially in rural Ireland.”


One Year On

FÓRSA, WITH over 80,000 members, isalready a significant force in industrialrelations and in wider public debate.

On the industrial relations front, we securedsignificant improvements for our new entrantmembers, taking two increments from theirscales, two years earlier than originallyenvisaged.

The long and hard work of our pilot membersin Ryanair came to fruition when a negotiation

of equals was created after a series of strikes and asettlement was secured.

Cabin crew, both in Ryanair and its agency satellites, havesecured recognition agreements and we are now focusing onan organising campaign.

There was widespread support across the new union for ourmembers in Roscommon County Council in their struggleagainst an employer who rejoices in limiting availability offlexitime.

Our members in higher education secured a long promised jobevaluation scheme.

Shay Cody.

5,000 new members:

Tús maith, leath na hoibre

Shay Cody, senior general secretary, and Eoin Ronayne, general secretary, share their perspectives on Fórsa’s first year.

WE KNEW that to build a singular dominanttrade union out of three separate unions withstrong public identities was going to be amassive challenge. Securing recognition of Fórsa in the mediaand in the minds of the public had to be acritical goal from day one. As the year endswe can safely say Fórsa has achieved whatthe PR gurus term ‘brand recognition’. Fórsa is widely accepted as the voice ofpublic service workers and a key player in the community andprivate sectors, not least because of the tremendoussuccesses at Ryanair. Fórsa is viewed as a real force to be reckoned with. Thissuccess in the public domain was hard won, not just by ourprofessional communications team but by determined activityin the workplace by our officials, elected representatives andmembers in general. Building a single coherent internal organisation out of threedifferent bodies has been, and continues to be, a huge task. Integrating three separate representative structures andhead office teams – while at the same time striving to protectrespective cultures and traditions – is challenging.Nevertheless, we have successfully held initial divisionalconferences for Service & Enterprises and the Civil Service,bringing together delegates from all three former entities forthe first time. These were followed by the first ever national Fórsa biennialconference which firmly put the union at the centre of nationalpublic affairs, and we were indeed honoured by the Presidentof Ireland Michael D Higgins delivering the keynote address.

Eoin Ronayne.

We are at the forefront of public debate on all the issues thatshape our society and influence the terms and conditions ofour members and the living standards of their families.

That involves securing and holding a place for us as a seriouscontributor in all national dialogue. All the delegates at ourinitial biennial conference would have seen the esteem heldfor our new union by our President, Michael D Higgins.

Similarly, in the House of the Oireachtas, we advocated forthe restoration of tax relief on union subscriptions in front of asizable group of Oireachtas members and theirrepresentatives.

Fórsa’s working time seminar received widespread publicityas heavyweight platform speakers discussed the future ofwork.

In 2018, over 5,000 new members joined Fórsa. Thesemembers have no historical memory of the threeamalgamating unions. Over time, this will become the largestblock of our membership. In the meantime, we must continueto strive to retain the best traditions of our forerunners as webuild a significant organised force and voice in our workplacesand in our wider society.

Shay Cody, senior general secretary n

“In 2018, over 5,000 new members joined Fórsa.”

“As the year ends we can safely sayFórsa has achieved what the PR gurus

term ‘brand recognition’.”Throughout the country branch representatives are coming toterms with working within new structures, policies andprocedures. Over the year we have painstakingly drawntogether these necessary tools that enable Fórsa to act onbehalf of its members. This has meant differing levels of change for different parts ofthe union but, over time, the wisdom of creating singular setsof structures, policies, procedures and staff organisation willsolidify our union and deliver a platform for greater cohesion.Tús maith leath na hoibre – a good start is half the work. OurFórsa organisation is well on its way. The integration projectwill make further strides in 2019 towards delivering a betterunion for all.Eoin Ronayne, general secretary n

Fórsa President Ann McGee addresses the crowd at a rally in support of Roscommon County Council workers.

“We’re also leadingthe way on the debate

about the four-dayworking week and it

was great to seesuch a strong Fórsaattendance at last

October’s ‘Raise theRoof’ rally.”

“Because I had previously been theCPSU president, there was a hugesection of the membership I hadn’t met,and I felt strongly that it was important

“Ann is very supportive of members

and unionrepresentatives that have shown

leadership in the area of women’s rights and disabilities.”

Ann takes the opportunity in our chat toacknowledge the hard work of Fórsastaff across the country. “They do a lotof hard work on behalf of the members,particularly in this inaugural year.”

Ann has thoroughly enjoyed her role aspresident so far, and is looking forwardto the challenges that will presentthemselves in 2019. “It’s not about me,it’s about the members, and that’s whereI like to keep my focus, that’s whatdrives me.”

13The magazine for Fórsa members12 Winter-Spring 201912

Fórsa gender equality

Fórsa’s 80,000-strong membership is diverse, with members in a widevariety of grades and occupations working throughout the country.Since the formation of the new union it’s been vital to understand thecomposition of the union’s branches and divisions in terms of gender. This series of infographics was recently presented to the the union’sConsultative Council, made up of representatives from all ourbranches, and Fórsa's National Executive Committee in order toprovide a snapshot of the union’s current gender balance. This datawill help inform the union’s work to improve gender representationthroughout the union.

Women make up the majority of Fórsa members across the country

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP

DIVISIONAL LEVEL:FEMALE INVOLVEMENT IN THE UNION

DROPS SIGNIFICANTLY IN 4 OUT OF THE 6 DIVISIONS

SENIOR POSITIONS ARE PREDOMINATELY MALE WHILE ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF ARE OVERWHELMINGLY FEMALE

BRANCH

EXECUTIVE

LEVEL


available outcome. We saw the injusticeof staff being denied pay restorationsimply because they work outside themainstream public service. But we alsoknew that some poorly-fundedorganisations simply didn’t have themoney. What’s the point of restoring payif it leads to closed services and joblosses,” he asks.

Éamonn says the campaign hasunderlined the need to look afresh athow community and voluntaryorganisation are funded in the round.“Nobody wants to inhibit independenceand innovation in the community andvoluntary sector. But we need to get toa situation where organisations that aremainly funded by the state to providehealth and community services for thestate are treated in the same way asdirect state bodies,” he says.

The year aheadThe elected divisional executive met inDecember to iron out its priorities for2019. Guarding the job evaluationscheme, and extending it to grade VIIsis one priority. “The exclusion of gradeVIIs is just discrimination,” saysDonnelly.

Agreeing additional career progression

paths for health and social careprofessionals is also in the mix, andÉamonn will continue to push for thePublic Service Pay Commission to startwork on recruitment and retentionissues for these grades.

“Staffing issues in these professions aremaking it even harder to sustain currentcommunity and hospital services, letalone work towards the ambitiousservice targets set out in Sláintecare.Now that it’s published its report onnursing and medical consultants, it’sessential that the pay commissionmoves to the next module and startswork on a deeper study of recruitmentand retention problems in other parts ofthe health service,” he says.

The union will also be pursuing a stafftransfer policy, with regional clerical andadmin panels, and Éamonn wants topress for a more coordinated approachto hospital groups within the union,whose branch and regional structure isnot aligned to new hospital structures.

Growing strengthÉamonn is pleased that the divisionalexecutive has also said it wants to takeownership of the strategy to increaseunion membership in Fórsa grades.

“It’s an exciting challenge. The union’sorganising efforts have increasedexponentially over the last few years,but all of us – officials, elected reps andbranches – have a responsibility to getinvolved. More recruitment means moreworkers are protected, and it gives usthe resources and clout to deliver morefor existing members too.”

Above all, Éamonn is determined thatthe union will participate in – and lead –debates about health service policy anddevelopments in hospitals, primary andcommunity care and health promotion.

“The public and political debate hardlyever moves beyond waiting lists andtrolleys. Those issues are real, but theyare symptoms of a much wider set ofconcerns and problems about capacityand investment right across the service,including in prevention and healthpromotion as well as primary andcommunity services,” he says.

“Fórsa needs to be at the forefront ofthat debate, but this comes with a test.If we want to be at the centre of thedebate about health service planningand delivery, the union’s officials, repsand branches need to see ourselves asleaders as well as industrial relationspractitioners. That’s a challenge weshould take on, rather than fear.” n

One Year On: Health and Welfare division


THE HEAD of Fórsa’s Health andWelfare division, Éamonn Donnelly, wasin expansive form when I spoke to himlast December.

“I’d say we’ve delivered more than 75%of the industrial relations priorities weset ourselves in health at the beginningof 2018, and that’s aside from the payrecovery underway for all healthworkers – including the so-called newentrants – under the public service payagreement,” he said.

Donnelly believes the progress heoutlines – in community healthorganisation structures, job evaluation,pay recovery in ’section 39’organisations, and elsewhere – has alsoworked to position the union as a uniquevoice in health service debates. And thisis something he means to develop in2019 and beyond.

Community healthcare“Take community health structures. Thisis a huge issue for Fórsa members’ payand conditions as we representthousands of staff in community andprimary care, vital areas that tend to getleft behind in largely hospital-focussedhealth debates.

“But it’s an even bigger issue for familiesand communities that need and deserveprimary care in their localities. Ourhealth service is too hospital-centric.Investment in primary care close tocitizens is a public good in its own right.And it would also free-up badly neededcapacity for those who really have to goto hospital, where our members arestruggling against the odds to deliverquality services,” he says.

That’s why the division has framedFórsa’s industrial agenda – which, for

example, includes an increased focus ondelivering better career pathways forhealth and social care professions(“huge for us,” says Donnelly) – in theneed for better services in communityand primary care.

Job evaluationA similar thread ran through the union’ssuccessful campaign to have jobevaluation reactivated for health serviceclerical and administrative staff justover a year ago. An eight-yearsuspension of the scheme created a lotof pent-up demand from workers whotook on substantial extraresponsibilities as staff numbers felldramatically during the crisis.

“I’m very conscious of the frustratingwaits that many members areexperiencing. But we’ve taken effectivesteps to speed things up, and over 300posts have now moved in the past 12months as a result,” says Donnelly.

Éamonn also roots this work in thebroader Fórsa campaign to close thegender pay gap. “The union is doing a lotof work on the policy side, includingleading the charge on pay gap reportinglegislation. But wins like job evaluationare the other side of that coin. Mostclerical and admin staff are women, soany mechanism to improve their careerpath is going to help shift the pay gap,”he says.

PayPay has moved for most health workersover the past year, with the ongoingimplementation of the Public ServiceStability Agreement. The deal saw afurther 1% pay increase for staffearning up to €30,000 in January, aswell as a pension levy alteration worthup to €325 a year.

A further 1.75% rise is due for all inSeptember, with additional increases ontrack for next year.

Section 39Fórsa’s Health and Welfare division hasalso spent 2019 working for payrestoration in so-called ‘section 39’agencies, which are publically-fundedbut independent of the state. “We’vemade progress for workers in someorganisations, but there’s a way to goyet.

“We’re convinced the approach we tookrepresented the best chance of the best

Bernard Harbor.

After a sound year of delivery on its industrialrelations priorities, Fórsa’s health division is poisedto position the union in broader health debates. Wespoke to national secretary ÉAMONN DONNELLY.

Health challenges

should hold no fear

Éamonn Donnelly.

“The hard-won reintroduction of jobevaluation gives admin staff the hopethat their efforts to improve and domore can be recognised. Theimplementation has been challengingover the past year but, having won theprinciple, the union has used itsinfluence to get extra resources, whichhas more than doubled the capacity todo evaluations.

“In job evaluation we’ve takeneffective steps to speed things up,

and over 300 posts have now movedin the past 12 months as a result.”


The union has commissioned anindependent consultant to produce abusiness case to bring to the LabourCourt. Fórsa is now awaiting advicefrom the Court on how to proceed sothis is sure to be a high point on theagenda for this year.

Water’s futureAn issue that will remain central to theunion’s agenda this year is the future ofIrish Water.

Last year, the government announcedits to create a single water utility by2021, four years before the expiry ofservice level agreements with localauthorities.

a referendum to underpin publicownership and control of the utility.

Peter said local authority staff havegrowing fears that a mass movement ofcouncil staff to Irish Water control couldbe a stepping stone to waterprivatisation unless a referendum takesplace first. “The Government’s initiativeis fraught with risk and could jeopardisethe continuity of safe drinking andwaste water supplies,” he says.

The meeting with the minister gaveunions the opportunity to communicateworkers' concerns about the status andgovernance of any new entity, the needfor a constitutional referendum toprevent the privatisation of public waterservices, the need to maintain staffinglevels in water services and the need tomaintain long term sustainability in localgovernment.

The year aheadPeter adds the union continues to focuson protecting and developing members’career prospects. “A positive ballot bymembers last year secured guaranteesfor staff with more than 12 monthsservice who might otherwise have beenshortlisted out of an interview by onlinepsychometric testing.

“This year will see the union seekingagreement on the creation of a field ofcompetition for grades IV to VII which

will be confined to local authorityworkers,” he says.

Developing opportunities for careerprogression remains a cornerstone ofunion policy and Peter says the union isworking to achieve a “radical” reform ofthe Common Recruitment Pool which hesays is no longer fit for purpose.

One Year On: Local Authorities


DURING THE summer of 2018, Fórsaengaged in its very first industrialaction, as Roscommon county councilworkers mounted a number of one-daystrikes over management’s refusal tohalt its effective ban on flexi-leave. “Apiece of labour history that nobodywanted to make” remarked the union’spresident, Ann McGee.

Head of division, Peter Nolan also notedthe work underway to secure a jobevaluation scheme in the sector, and thecurrent battle to retain the provision ofwater services in public ownership.These were all big issues in 2018 andwill remain to the fore in the year ahead.

Battle in RoscommonFórsa members in Roscommon CountyCouncil engaged in four one-day strikesthroughout June and July over councilmanagement’s block on flexible workingarrangements, which was in defiance ofa Labour Court recommendation.

impassioned speeches under theblistering sun about the significance ofthat day.

“We are public servants who care deeplyabout the services we provide in ourlocal communities, and none of uscontemplate strike action lightly. Butequally, we have a responsibility tostand up against injustice – and toprotect and defend workers’ rights,which have been hard-won by previousgenerations,” Ann McGee declared.

continuing currently with meetingsongoing in the WRC.

Peter says that, unfortunately, anotherissue has since arisen in the councilregarding work sharing. “These workershave faced adversity before and will nodoubt overcome this new dispute withthe help and efforts of the union. It isexpected to go to the WRC forconciliation and we aim to resolve it thisyear,” he said.

Job evaluationFrom Roscommon to Kerry, there werethree motions on job evaluations whichwere adopted at Fórsa’s nationalconference in Killarney. Two of whichcalled for the union to pursue jobevaluations across the public sector,and the third called for them to bepursued within all the union’s divisions.

The motions reflect the changesbrought across the public sector duringthe moratorium on recruitment duringthe economic crisis, and how staff haverisen to the challenge to maintain andimprove services before public servicerecruitment resumed.

Job evaluation is an established toolthat allows the knowledge, skills andresponsibilities associated withindividual jobs – rather than grades orstaff categories – to be assessed andappropriately rewarded. Peter explainsthat “while a job evaluation doesn’tguarantee an upgrading, it enables it tohappen if the responsibilities of a jobhave increased enough.”

Speaking in support of the motions atthe time Peter said “the union wanted allits members to have the opportunity tohave their jobs independently assessed,but said schemes would likely differ indetails to suit the sectors and servicesconcerned.”

Hazel Gavigan.

A dispute in Roscommon marked Forsa’s very first industrialaction. While successful, there remains work to do, while thefuture of Irish Water remains central to the union’s agenda. Wespoke to head of division PETER NOLAN about the challengesfacing our Municipal and Local Government and Local Servicesdivisions as the year ahead takes shape.

Playing the long game

Peter Nolan.

After two further days of strike action,the National Oversight Body stepped inand ruled that in order for RoscommonCounty Council, as an employer, toprevent itself breaching the terms of thePublic Service Stability Agreement(2018-2020), that it re-engage in thepilot scheme process, and developproposals for full implementation offamily-friendly policies through theWorkplace Relations Commission(WRC).

The council workers welcomed anagreement that saw flexi-time and flexi-leave made available to them on a two-month trial basis in July. This is

Fórsa members marching in support of their comrades in RoscommonCounty Council earlier this year

“Peter says the union isin good shape to take on

the challenges of theyear ahead.”

The action affected all council servicesafter at least 12 months had passedsince any Roscommon council workerwas approved for flexi-leave –arrangements which are in place inevery other local authority in Ireland.

In a strong display of trade unionsolidarity, hundreds of Fórsa members,along with staff from branches all overthe country gathered in Roscommon onSaturday the 23rd June and rallied insupport their colleagues’ efforts.

The rally concluded in the town squarewhere various stakeholders gave

“The Government’sinitiative is fraught with

risk and could jeopardisethe continuity of safe

drinking and wastewater supplies.”

Unions have continued to oppose anyplans to transfer staff out of localauthorities without their agreement.Unions met with local governmentminister Eoghan Murphy at the end of2018 and said there’s no chance ofwinning support for his plans to bring3,500 local authority workers under thecontrol of Irish Water in the absence of

“In a strong display oftrade union solidarity,

hundreds of Fórsamembers, along with

staff from branches allover the country

gathered in Roscommonand rallied in support

their colleagues’ efforts.”He adds that the union is supporting thepush for legislation to allow Dublin firebrigade staff to retire at age 60, and aprocess to move the ambulance serviceto Tallaght needs to be resolved.

Peter says the union is in good shape totake on the challenges of the yearahead. “We’re anticipating anotherproductive year, we’re ready for it, andwe’re looking forward to laying thegroundwork for a wide range of otherinitiatives at our divisional conference inApril.” n


Last November, the executive made adetailed examination of the divisionalmembership with a view to ensuringthat existing structures were workingfor the range of members and thecomplexity of issues facing branchesrepresenting workers in a huge varietyof professions, grades and sectors.

“We’ve established a sub-group to takethis further in 2019 and we’ve alreadydone a survey of 11 branches as aprelude to more detailed work onmapping membership and recruitmentpotential across the division. We’ll alsobe looking at communications, trainingand campaigns,” says Angela.

Pension justiceOne continuing campaign is the union’slong-running effort to win pensionsjustice for community employmentsupervisors, who are currently deniedany occupational pension provisiondespite providing a vital public service.The supervisors recently balloted infavour of industrial action and the unionhas also pressed the issue throughICTU’s community sector committee.

Angela says the union will also beworking on the impact of voluntaryredundancies on remaining staff in eirand An Post. Both companies sawsignificant job reductions in 2019, andthere are fears over what impact thiswill have on both staff and organisationsthey work for.

“Our officials will be engaging withmanagement to get a clear picture ofthe future in both companies. We’re

insisting that staff and customers havecertainty and security going forward,”says Angela.

DevelopmentLast year also saw the establishment ofa network of branches representingnon-commercial semi-state staff, and ameeting of union reps took place inOctober. “We’ll be developing this and itwill include regular meetings, perhapsalong the lines of ‘divisional councils,’which have successfully existed in otherdivisions over the years,” Angelapromises.

Staff in the non-commercial sector willalso be closely watching civil servicediscussions on the movement of staffbetween government departments andsemi-state agencies.

This is among a range of issues thatimpact on workers in both sectors.Another is the much-criticised‘PeoplePoint’ HR system, which hascaused great frustration to those whouse and provide the service.

“The Road Safety Authority branchbrought a motion on this issue to ourvery successful divisional conference inGalway last year, and it has also beenthe focus of much discussion in theunion’s Civil Service division,” accordingto Angela.

This year’s Services and Enterprisesdivision conference takes place in Sligoin May. Clearly there’s going to be a lotto discuss, and a lot to report.

Interview by Bernard Harbor n

One Year On: Services and Enterprises division


BY THE end of 2018, immediate payissues had been settled for most Fórsamembers in the union’s 6,700-strongServices and Enterprises division. Butthis year its national secretary AngelaKirk expects a lot of action on theorganising front.

but this is something we’ll need to keepan eye on. At the end of last year, unionsset a 3.4% target for private sector paydeals in 2019. If this is met, we’ll seethe beginning of a divergence with thePSSA terms as that agreementapproaches its end in 2020,” she says.

Angela says the productivity issue had“broken from the trends of recent years”in the private and commercial semi-state sector. “Most awards have steeredclear of the productivity terms we sawin the post-crisis period. Where changeclauses exist, they are now largely tiedto additional pay boosts,” she explains.

RyanairOne company where pay remains verymuch on the agenda is Ryanair. Talks oncabin crew pay and working conditionsgot underway towards the end of 2018after a tumultuous year in which theunion won recognition for pilots andcrew – including agency staff – in theformerly anti-union company.

“Between them, the creation of Fórsaand the fast-moving developments inRyanair made 2018 a signature year interms of recruitment and organisation inthe division. I’m looking forward toworking with branches and thedivisional executive to consolidate thatin the coming year,” says Angela.

Ryanair pilots won recognition at theend of 2017 following the threat ofindustrial action in a company reelingfrom pilot shortages that led it to cancelhundreds of flights months earlier. Aseries of one-day pilot strikes and“many, many hours of talks,” which keptthe budget airline in the headlinesthroughout last summer, eventually ledto a collective agreement on basetransfers, seniority and other matters.

RecognitionBy the end of the year, the union hadalso won recognition for directly-employed and agency cabin crew in theairline, and a sustained organisation andrecruitment effort was put in place.

Bernard Harbor.

Fórsa’s Services and Enterprises division speaks forworkers in the private companies, commercial and non-commercial semi-state organisations, and parts of thecommunity sector. We spoke to national secretaryANGELA KIRK about how 2019 is shaping up.

Expanding sectors

outline new goals

Angela Kirk.

Staff in non-commercial semi-stateorganisations are covered by the PublicService Stability Agreement (PSSA).They received a 1% pay increase inJanuary, as well as a pension levyalteration worth up to €325 a year. Afurther 1.75% rise is due in September,with additional increases on track fornext year.

Meanwhile, the union finalised payagreements that take most of itsmembers in the private and commercialsemi-state sectors into 2020, the sameyear that the PSSA expires. For themost part, these are broadly in line withPSSA increases, according to Angela,and most come without the productivityconditions common in the sector in theyears immediately following the crisis.

2020 target“Although they aren’t identical, pay hasbeen moving in a similar direction in thedifferent sectors across the division, Ryanair pilots picketing outside Dublin Airport.

“Talks on cabin crewpay and working

conditions got underwaytowards the end of 2018after a tumultuous yearin which the union wonrecognition for pilotsand crew – includingagency staff – in theformerly anti-union

company.”

“One welcome side-effect of this wasthe strengthening of the new union’sinternational work and profile. It’s fair tosay that our IALPA branch led the way inthe European-wide Ryanair pilots’campaign. Our efforts on cabin crewalso included a substantial internationaldimension,” says Angela.

“The union will also be working on the impact of voluntary redundancies on remaining staff in eir and An Post,” says Angela.

The latter included a EuropeanTransport Federation (ETF) summit ofRyanair cabin crew, hosted in latesummer in Fórsa’s Dublin office, whichwas the prelude to successfulrecognition campaigns in Ireland andelsewhere.

“On foot of these campaigns, ourambition is to bring hundreds – if notthousands – of aviation workers into theunion. But our focus is much wider thanthat. We are targeting recruitment andorganisation across the division,”according to the national secretary.


more of the same in 2019. “There arebig issues for the Civil Service divisionin 2019. My priority will be to ensurethat we deal with the members’ issuesand the detailed agenda arising atGeneral Council, our main industrialrelations forum.

over three years to minimise the impacton internal promotions.

“We also saw the introduction ofadditional higher scales at CO level. Twodays additional annual leave for COsand EOs was also agreed and applied torelated service, professional andtechnical grades.

“A steering committee was alsoestablished by the national sharedservices office (NSSO) in the autumn toexamine the role of HR shared services,formally known as PeoplePoint.”

The establishment of the committeewas the result of union pressure toaddress serious issues which had arisenwith the system. It will oversee work onan official survey of civil servants abouttheir experience of the system, and istasked with accelerating necessaryimprovements. Derek warns, however,that the committee’s progress has beenfar too slow to date.

New entrant payagreementIn September, newly agreed measureson public service new entrants’ payconcluded the task of addressing thetwo additional points post-2010recruits had on their pay scales, whichmeant it took them two years longer toreach the top of their scale.

The measures identify two points oneach pay scale – year four and yeareight – which new entrant publicservants will now skip, ensuring anequitable outcome for new entrants indifferent circumstances.

Brexit challengeCasting an eye ahead, Derek says thereare a number of issues on the agendaheading into next year. “In particular theimplications of Brexit for staffing inRevenue and Agriculture and otherdepartments. A range of HR policies willalso be on the table for negotiation,including a proposal for an attendancepolicy by DPER and ongoing discussionson disciplinary codes.

One Year On: Civil Service division


ALMOST A year on from the creation ofFórsa, it has been a particularly busyand eventful year for the Civil Servicedivision. It was always likely that theformation of Ireland’s largest publicservice union would see the biggestchanges occur in the Civil Servicedivision, and that has proven to be thecase.

The highlights include the civil servicedivisional conference in April, Fórsa’snational conference in May, the electionof Fórsa president Ann McGee and

reaching an agreement on a newentrants pay deal to skip two points ontheir scale.

Pay, change andcommunicationsToward the end of 2018 work wasongoing to finalise agreement on a newstarting pay on promotion circular whichwill simplify the original circular, abolishmark time and ensure that public

servants moving to the Civil Service willretain pay levels as they move across.

There have also been a number ofchanges at the top of the Civil Servicedivision. Derek Mullen is the new headof the division. This follows thedeparture of former Fórsa joint generalsecretary Tom Geraghty, who has takenup a post as deputy chair of the LabourCourt.

Derek says it’s been as exciting a timeas it has been eventful, and is expecting

Diarmaid Mac aBhaird.

As part of our year in review series, we look back at abusy year for Fórsa’s new look Civil Service division andwe talk to new head of division DEREK MULLEN aboutthe year gone by and to look ahead to 2019.

Brexit and problem

solving – the year ahead

Members of the Civil Service DEC at their meeting on Tuesday 11th December.

“Recruitment and organising will be

a key priority too,particularly among Garda staff wherecivilianization will see our potential

membership double over the next

few years.”

Derek Mullen.

“I will also continue to press for thetransition of the state’s IR structures,the WRC and the Labour Court. Whilethe conciliation and arbitration schemehas served its purpose, there’s noreason why civil servants shouldn’t havethe same access as all other workers tothe states IR services.

“At departmental level, Brexit staffing incustoms and agriculture will be apriority too. Organisationally, I want toimprove communications with members,ensuring updated information on aregular basis. I also want to work withthe divisional executive to ensure theyhave as much support as they need tocarry out their work efficiently andwithin the new Fórsa structures.

“Recruitment and organising will be akey priority too, particularly amongGarda staff where civilianization will seeour potential membership double overthe next few years,” he says.

AgendaLooking back on 2018, Derek says anumber of agreements were reachedthat addressed several issues membersin the division put to the top of theagenda at both the divisional andnational conferences.

Over the summer, Fórsa secured anagreement that will see an additional10% of all executive officer (EO) postsfilled through internal orinterdepartmental competition.

The discussions also included a new EOliability agreement that will see the openand interdepartmental liability for EOcompetitions reduce to 400 posts (fromover a thousand), with the process ofequalising the sequences to be done

“The establishment ofthe committee to

examine the role of HRshared services –

formerly PeoplePoint -was the result of union

pressure to addressserious issues which hadarisen with the system.”

The measures mean that publicservants are now no longer at a long-term disadvantage based on the year inwhich they were recruited. Themeasures were agreed two years earlierthan originally anticipated, andcompleted the task which began withmerging the pay scales in 2013.

“We also expect to be negotiatingwelcome amendments to the annualleave circular with a view to removingthe onerous three-year carry over ofleave, aspects which can causemembers so much difficulty. We willalso conduct a review of the family-friendly suite of options in the CivilService, particularly to deal withconcerns arising with schemes such asthe shorter working year.

“Another important piece of work we willcontinue this year is the review ofcompetitive processes in the CivilService including the use ofpsychometric testing for shortlisting.

“Discussions on graduate recruitmentthe role of administrative officers, HEOrecruitment, and a new departurearising from the PSSA involving an ITapprenticeship scheme at EO level,” hesays.

With an expanded, and growing,membership and a full agenda for2019, Derek says the entire CivilService divisional executive andindustrial team are ready for anotherbusy year n


“I think it should enable the sector toargue for a greater share of statefunding for the technology part of thehigher education sector. We’re affiliatedto the Coalition for Public Funding forHigher Education, along with otherunions and the USI, and there is a needto push the debate forward on fundinghigher education this year.

“The opportunities that will emerge fromthe tech university sector, in terms ofresearch, development and innovationcould be significant for the Irisheconomy, provided that there’s goodleadership there,” he says.

Job evaluationFollowing industrial action and talks atthe Workplace Relations Commission(WRC) last year, a deal was struck whichmakes provision for the commencementof a job evaluation scheme for library,clerical and administrative and supportstaff roles in the higher educationsector.

employment grouping, not just withinthe school system, but within theeconomy and society.

Last year’s report and recommendationsby the NCSE initiated a significantconsultation exercise between the unionand SNA members nationwide.

“The NCSE consultation meetings – 28meetings held over a six week period -were hugely positive, and gave the unionthe opportunity to explain what’shappening, as well as allowing SNAs toexpress their concerns directly aboutthe NCSE recommendations,” he says.

“There was a huge amount ofconsistency from meeting to meeting,so members are very clear about whatconcerns them. The union is seeking adirect input into the process. Thatmeans we expect the NCSE and thedepartment to listen to our concernsand take them on board. Lip servicewon’t be enough.

affected, is just not on. It wouldn’thappen with any other profession and Idon’t think we can accept it. Also, weneed to guard against any abuse of achange in job title or job role that wouldresult in any detriment to the children towhom the service is provided,” he says.

Kevin adds that the improved timing ofthe publication of SNA allocations - wonby the union in 2018 – marked a much-needed change. “We forced thedepartment, under threat of industrialaction, to deliver on a commitment topublish the allocations earlier.

“We’ve had a recent change of ministerand we’ll have to ensure Minister JoeMcHugh is equally aware of thesignificance of the timely publication ofthe allocations. In fairness to thedepartment, they said their system haschanged, so I’m hopeful that’s resolvedfor good,” he adds.

Push aheadKevin says the division will also seework continuing in a number of keyareas in education, including efforts toregularise employment conditions forschool completion staff, and dealingwith the introduction of shared servicesin the Education and Training Boards(ETBs).

“Our officers and industrial staffcontinue to have a full agenda for theyear ahead, and we’ll be hoping to makesome significant gains again.”

The divisional conference, under theworking title of The other faces ofeducation will take place inCarrickmacross, County Monaghanfrom 24th to 26th April n

One Year On: Education


WITH MORE than 11,000 membersworking in non-teaching rolesthroughout the education sector,Fórsa’s Education division continues togrow rapidly.

As preparations get underway for thedivisional conference in April, Fórsa’sSchool Secretaries branch is finalisingits preparations to launch a nationalcampaign to improve secretaries’ paythis year.

Under the terms of a 2015 arbitrationfinding, the payment of four separatepay rises of 2.5 per cent for schoolsecretaries and caretakers werecompleted on 1st January this year,with the application of a 2.5% payadjustment.

Kevin said the adjudication findingcalled on the parties to meet during2019 in order to agree what wouldcome after the current agreement.

“That’s why we’re launching a majorcampaign now to try and influence thepolitical system around this, to try andshape Budget 2020, which will beannounced in October, in order to try toachieve pay parity for schoolsecretaries with their public servicecounterparts.

“We still have members who areemployed in the old 1978 scheme, whoare on normal public service pay andconditions. All of our members inschools within the ETB system are paidas they should be, on normal publicservice terms and conditions, and thiswill be our big push to get that for allschool secretaries.”

Support The branch’s voice and identity hasgrown in recent years, and Kevin saysthis has helped win support fromoutside the organisation.

“We’ve had some very good coverage ofthe issue, including analysis by MickClifford in the Irish Examiner and onRTE’s Drivetime on more than oneoccasion, in the context of looking atprecarious work.

“We’ve also had great solidarity from theteaching unions, particularly the INTO,and we’ve certainly had some traction inthe political system. I think we’re wellset now to build on the support we have,and to have a good campaign.”

TechnologicaluniversitiesAlready 2019 has seen theestablishment of the first technologicaluniversity in Dublin, following themerger of Dublin, Tallaght andBlanchardstown institutes oftechnology. Kevin says it marks a verysignificant change within the highereducation sector, and Fórsa membershave been deeply engaged with theprocess to create the new universities.

Niall Shanahan.

As Fórsa’s Education division prepares for itsfourth biennial conference in April, we spoke todeputy general secretary KEVIN CALLINAN aboutthe campaign and industrial objectives for thisfast-growing division of the union.

The other faces

of education

Kevin Callinan.

Caretakers and secretaries pay ratesvary, as they are determined by theindividual board of management of eachschool, and paid from the ancillarygrants paid to the schools by theDepartment of Education and Skills.Almost all are paid below the scale paidto equivalent public service workers.

“In the dispute on jobevaluation in higher

education, our membersshowed great resolve,and there was greatleadership shown by

the branch.”

“Following quite quickly from theestablishment of the new university inDublin we’ll see the creation of theMunster technological university, andone for the South East with Carlow andWaterford institutes of technology, andthe possibility of a Connacht/Ulsteralliance of Letterkenny, Sligo andGalway/Mayo institutes shortly after.

Incoming head of division Andy Pike.

The union delegation in the final set ofWRC talks was led by incoming head ofdivision Andy Pike.

Kevin says it was vital that the unionwon the dispute. “There’s no doubt, aftersuch a long period with no recruitment,there is a need to give members theopportunity to test whether or not theirparticular role is being properly gradedand remunerated.

“We’re doing the preparatory work nowto ensure the scheme is effective whenit’s introduced. It’s an important victory.It wasn’t an easy dispute, but ourmembers stuck together, showed greatresolve, and there was great leadershipshown by the branch.”

SNAsSpecial needs assistants remain thefastest growing bloc of membership inthe union. With 15,000 whole-time-equivalents employed around thecountry (roughly 18,000 SNAs), Kevinsays this makes them a very significant

“The improved timing ofthe publication of SNA

allocations – won by theunion in 2018 – marked a

much-needed change.”

“Now that we’ve been able to hear theviews of hundreds of SNAs directly,we’re much better equipped to dealassertively with the report and itsrecommendations, such as the proposalto change the job title to ‘inclusionsupport assistant’.

“I don’t find the way this is being done tobe an acceptable approach. I’m notsaying we can’t agree a change of jobtitle but I think just landing in a new title,without consulting the workers

School secretaries with the Minister.


Fórsa Equality Networks


The launch of the Fórsa Women’s Activist Network took place on Saturday 3rdNovember 2018 at Fórsa’s Nerney's Court Office. This national meeting wasthe first of a series of new equality networks to be established by the union’sEquality committee over the coming months. The meeting was opened by ICTUgeneral secretary Patricia King and featured speakers on the gender pay gap,access to flexible working schemes and the role of women within Fórsa.ROISIN MCKANE captures some of the images and comments from the event.

Fórsa Women’s Activist Network

L-R: Cliodhna McNamara, Angela Kirk, Dr Lisa Wilson, Patricia King, Orla O’Connor, Dr Laura Bambrick, Melissa Brennan and Ann McGee.“It is important, as a group of active women trying to build this network, that we develop the appropriate strategy so that we can go back to our workplaces and get the issues we speak

about today discussed at the highest possible level,” Angela Kirk.

“Gender inequality stems from a range of issues. Until we achieveequal status in all positions of authority, only then will we be in aposition to exercise influence, ensuring society operates on the

principles of true gender equality,” Patricia King.

Dr Lisa Wilson (left) economist with NERI pictured with Dr Laura Bambrick.

Dr Wilson delved into the importance offlexible work for women in the workplace.

“Flexible employment has allowed women toengage in employment while still allowingthem to participate in responsibilities they

may have outside of the workplace.However, flexible should not mean low paid

or poor conditions,” Lisa Wilson.Delegates Dabney Melia and Josefina Riubrugent.

Engaging and stark conversations took place surrounding sexualharassment and bullying in the workplace. Powerful personalstatements about the impact of harassment on women in the

workplace, and a strong response by ICTU General Secretary PatriciaKing on the need to radically change the culture of workplaces that

enable and tolerate harassment. “Power and disrespect are hugefactors in this. The bottom line is that this shouldn’t be tolerated and

it must be stopped. Respect is paramount,” Patricia King.

Haryriye Ylldrim and Penny Bartlett.

Informative and thoroughly enjoyablesegment by Laura Bambrick which

brought us through the history ofwomen in social policy. Fascinating to

see how attitudes towards womensince the early 1800’s shaped

legislation and the tax framework.“1952 see’s 12 weeks paid maternity

leave for women which was a huge win.However, most won’t receive this as

they are unable to work due to themarriage bar,” Laura Bambrick.

Jennifer Bradley and Niamh Jordan.

Catriona McEhinney and Marie Little. Rachael Ingersoll and Aine Bullock.

“The gender pay gap is a directconsequence of women not being

recruited into senior roles andcontinuing their careers. Only 7% ofwomen are surgeons and olnly 11%of women in IOT’s hold senior roles.We have an enormous amount to do

in terms of senior positions forwomen,” Orlxa O’Connor, NWCI on the

issue of the gender pay gap.

Phot

os: C

onor

Hea

ly.

Roisin McKane.


Future of Work


Hazel Gavigan.

Fórsa hosted an international conference looking at theissues of working time, automation and the merits of afour-day week as a model of work for changing times.HAZEL GAVIGAN recorded the event for social mediawith images, capturing the key comments of the day.

Working time and

future-proofing

See also pages 28 and 31.

Full house of delegates.

Fórsa president Ann McGee and Anita O’Reilly.

Dr AileenO’Carroll fromMaynoothUniversity saysfrom herresearch, peoplewouldn’t opt togive up theirwork entirely butwould opt tolessen it to workon other projects.

Conny Schoenhardtfrom German tradeunion IG Metall thatrecently negotiateda collectiveagreement givingworkers the optionof more money ormore self-determination inworking hours. Aine Mannion, David Murphy, Daniel Copperthwaite

and Karen McCarthy.

Catherine O’Sullivan and Orla Daly.

Keynote speaker Kate Bell, head of economics and social affairs

at the TUC. Angela Reilly and Stephanie Kelly.

A Q&A with the panel discussing benefits of reduced working time.

Aidan Harper fromthe Four Day Week

campaign explains aworking time

reduction will leadto greater benefits

for our economy,gender equality,

society, health andwellbeing, and

benefits for theenvironment too.

“The idea of working to live rather than livingto work is not new and has been at the veryheart of the trade union and labourmovement from the earliest days.” –Professor John Ashton, former chairman ofthe UK Public Health Association.

Anne Ryan from Feasta explaining the need towork towards a just, stable and resilientecological economy and society, where humanand planetary wellbeing are at the centre of alldecision making.

Mark Hooper, founder of IndycubeLtd. tells the room “a four-day week isa starting point but it needs to bepart of a broader coalition of changesand challenges.”


four-day week at the centre of itsresponse to automation andproductivity-driving technologicalchange.

HoursWorkers have historically benefited fromimprovements in technology throughreduced working time.

One example is the cut in averageworking hours. A century ago this wasover 60. Now, partly due to more part-time working, it’s reduced to just over30. This has hugely improved the qualityof life for workers and their families.

Trade unions don’t want to impedetechnological developments in a 21stcentury Luddite escapade. We knowthat they have the potential to take a lotof the drudgery and danger out ofcurrent workplace tasks whileincreasing prosperity, including bycreating many new jobs.

But we are determined to secure a fairershare of the benefits of economicgrowth and technological advances forall workers in all sectors of the economy.This would also have the benefit ofsharing paid work as technologyreduces its availability.

FairMany employers will, of course,continue to require non-standardworking hours in the 24/7 economy –and this works for many employees too.We don’t want to inhibit flexibility, butwe do want to see worker protectionsand a fair share of the benefits of newtechnology.

It’s already happening in a number oflarge European economies includingFrance and Germany, where the IGMetall union recently negotiated a dealthat included the option for 500,000

workers in 280 companies to reducetheir working time.

Fórsa’s conference was designed toopen up the debate here in Ireland. Wealready know countries that work fewerhours tend to have higher levels ofproductivity, as well as greater amountsof wealth per person.

Future of Work


KEYNES’S PREDICTION wasrevolutionary indeed, at a time whenworking hours were considerably longerthan today and when the ‘weekend’ wasnot yet a feature of life for the workingmasses in Ireland, Europe and beyond.

His reasoning was straightforwardenough. He correctly said that, byproducing more with less, we couldcater for our needs while doing lesswork. This would mean more leisuretime with no economic loss.

Even Keynes could scarcely haveimagined the productivity gains thathave been achieved since he made hisprediction, or the accelerated speed ofimprovement we’ve seen in recentdecades.

Yet the length of the working week hasremained more or less the same overthe last few decades.

ControlIf anything, we now have less controlover our working time with the advent of

the ‘gig economy’ and the arrival ofrelatively simple new technologies likeremote email facilities and mobilephones, from which we cannot easilydisconnect during evenings andweekends.

relatives – are growing exponentially,especially for women.

But it’s also a fundamental issue ofequity in societies where many believethe gains from technological changeand new forms of work organisation arenot being fairly shared.

ThreatIn a world where new technologies likeartificial intelligence are alsothreatening at least some of ourlivelihoods, and where modern workpractices are making more and morejobs more and more precarious, peopleare asking why all the benefits seem tobe earmarked for a small global elite.

An international conference organisedin Dublin by Fórsa last Novemberexplored emerging trade union demandsfor a move towards a four-day week asstandard over the coming years.

It followed a call last summer by theTrade Union Congress (the UKequivalent of ICTU), which has put a

Kevin Callinan.

Almost 90 years ago, the legendary economist JohnMaynard Keynes predicted that technological change woulddeliver productivity improvements that would eventually leadto a 15-hour working week. KEVIN CALLINAN, deputygeneral secretary of Fórsa, says that while new technologieslike artificial intelligence threaten at least some of ourlivelihoods, it’s appropriate to ask why all the benefits of thattechnology seem to be earmarked for a small global elite.

It’s time totalk aboutworking time

“We don’t want to inhibitflexibility, but we dowant to see worker

protections and a fairshare of the benefits of

new technology.”

Today – not for the first time in history –working time is emerging as one of thecentral issues in international debatesabout the future of work.

This is partly due to concerns for themental and physical health of workersand growing concerns about work-lifebalance in an age where caringresponsibilities – for younger and older

“We have the chance tofight for a fairer sharefor everyone, including

a four day week.”

The weekend that many of us take forgranted was also seen as anunaffordable luxury until around themiddle of the twentieth century. Severalgenerations on, we have the chance tofight for a fairer share for everyone,including through a four day week.

“The working weekhas remained more

or less the same overthe last few decades.”

In this context, a reduction in workingtime is entirely feasible even withincurrent levels of technology. Thebenefits for society, gender and ageequality, the economy and theenvironment could be significant.

Kevin’s article was originally publishedin TheJournal.ie to coincide with Fórsa’sinternational conference on the futureof working time on 22nd November2018 n

See also: Unions call for four-day week,page 31.


News: The Working Week

Unions call for four-day working week

MOST OF the benefits of increasedproductivity, achieved throughworkplace technological change, hasgone to a small “global elite,” rather thanworking people.

Speaking at Fórsa’s recent internationalconference on the future of workingtime in Dublin, deputy general secretaryKevin Callinan (see page 28) saidreduced working time was againemerging as one of the central issues ininternational debates about the futureof work.

The conference also heard from KateBell, head of economic and social affairsat the UK Trade Union Congress (TUC),which has put the demand for a four-dayweek at the centre of its response toautomation and productivity-drivingtechnological change.

including through a four day week,” shesaid.

The conference, organised by Fórsa,brought together trade unionists andworking time experts from Ireland,Germany and the UK. It came inresponse to the large number ofmotions about working time submittedto Fórsa’s national conference last May,when an executive motion committedthe union to work with others to reduceworking time in all sectors of theeconomy.

The conference also heard from ConnySchoenhardt of the Germanmanufacturing union IG Metall, whichrecently negotiated a deal that includedthe option for 500,000 workers in 280companies to reduce their working time.

Aidan Harper, director of the UK-based‘4-Day Week Campaign’, saidinternational studies show no positivecorrelation between working hours andwealth. “Countries who work fewerhours tend to have higher levels ofproductivity, as well as greater amountsof wealth per person. A reduction in

working time is entirely feasible withcurrent levels of technology and thebenefits for society, gender equality, theeconomy and the environment can besignificant. Time must become politicalonce again,” he said.

Bernard Harbor.

Revised working time ensure workers sharefruits of technological change

“Conference speakersalso highlighted thegender aspects of

working time, specificallyfor women with

childcare and othercaring responsibilities.”

“Technology enablesus to work cheaper andfaster, and that shouldmake us all better off.”

“Technology enables us to work cheaperand faster, and that should make us allbetter off. In Britain, to take just oneexample, the government estimatesthat robots and autonomous technologycould boost GDP by around £200 billiona year. But if we raise our productivity,isn’t it worth asking whether we couldbe working four days rather than fivewhile producing the same amount?

“That’s how workers have historicallybenefited from improvements intechnology. The reduction in averageworking hours from over 60 a week in1868 – 150 years ago – to just over 30today is one example. The weekend,which was seen as an unaffordableluxury until around the middle of thetwentieth century, is another. Severalgenerations on, we have the chance tofight for a fairer share for everyone,

Conference speakers also highlightedthe gender aspects of working time,specifically for women with childcareand other caring responsibilities, as wellas the need for workers to have controlover their working hours in an era ofzero-hours’ contracts and other newforms of work organisation n


Opinion


Overworking is easier to do when the borders between workingand living grow more indistinct. Turns out the Japanese and theGermans have words and customs that make a strong case for ashorter working week. AINGEALA FLANNERY gathers a usefullexicon for a better quality of life.

Work is a four letter word

I HAVE A penchant for foreign words. Ilike the look of them, the sound of thembouncing around my brain, the feel ofthem on my tongue – which is not to saythat I use them in every dayconversation, I don’t want to sound likethat.

Like what?

Like a kolyboynick (Yiddish; noun; aknow-it-all).

When it comes to coining clever phrasesto describe common phenomena, theGermans are genius at it. How brilliant isthis: kummerspeck – think kummerband– it literally means belly bacon, anddescribes the roll of fat you get fromemotional overeating. And, then there’sschadenfreude, the pain you feel for theoffice tyrant and the Kummerspeckshe’s grown after her husband wascaught in flagrante with the captain ofthe ladies’ golf team. Let’s face it,

English lacks the dynamic word powerto capture the subtleties of thesesituations.

Anyhow, I learned a couple of zingerslast week, I was at an under-11’sfootball match and there was anincident when the opposition keeper,raging after he’d conceded a goal,roared at a defender that he was a‘dufus’. ‘That’s YouTube, for you,’ Iremarked to the man beside me, addingthat my own son had taken to calling thekitchen tap the faucet.

‘It’s a Scottish word,’ he replied.

‘Faucet?’

‘No, dufus.’

Turns out, he was an English teacher,with a particular interest in etymology.Oh, says I, aren’t the Germans justbrilliant at making up words. They were,he said, but really you couldn’t beat the

Japanese. He’d spent his twentiesteaching in Osaka and there wasnothing the Japanese didn’t have a wordfor – umami, for example, the fifth senseof taste, we only copped on to havingthe year before last, now the hipstersown it. Then he told me about anotherphenomena the Japanese have nailedwith a phrase. Karoshi.

“It means ‘death by overwork’.”

“Wow!” I said.

FuroshikiHe was surprised I hadn’t heard it.Especially since the most high profilecase was a journalist: 31 year-old MiwaSado, who worked almost a hundredhours a week in the month before shedied. Her employer was the statebroadcaster, an organisation you’dexpect to uphold working time

directives, but Miwa, like manyJapanese who want to get ahead in theircareers, was doing furoshiki, literally‘cloaked overtime’, a widespread habit ofhiding out in the office after hours –clandestine working – that everybodyand nobody knows about.

Karoshi, I later discovered, is soprevalent in Japan they’ve hadgovernment helplines since the 1980sto prevent it, and yet, it prevails. It isclichéd and dangerous to pretend this ispeculiar to Japan, when they’ve justcome up with a name for a scourge thatblights us all: the glorification ofoverwork and the denial of evidenceshowing how shorter working hours leadto greater productivity.

But back to the case of the journalistMiwo Sado. Outside her own profession,I doubt many people think of working inmedia as a hard slog. I can tell you fromtwenty years in the industry that themost chronic workaholics I’veencountered are journalists, self-declared ‘political animals’ and ‘newsjunkies’, worst among them. They lovewhat they do, so they do what theylove – non-stop. Rather than reducetheir workload, new media technologyhas actually heaped more work anddeadlines on them. The 24-hour newscycle has a rapacious appetite and theymust keep stuffing it with “content”,Twitter never sleeps, so they don’teither.

Always onNobody distinguishes between print andbroadcast journalist anymore. Alljournalists are digital, this means theirwork appears in print, online, on digitalradio and TV, in podcasts, webcasts andacross social media platforms.Automation has allowed journalists towork faster, and therefore their output(quality notwithstanding) is tenfold whatit was a decade ago. The number ofjournalists on payroll is a fraction ofwhat it was a generation ago, and themajority of new entrants work withoutcontracts, and spend the hours they’renot working in the so-called ‘gigeconomy’, chasing payment, which isalways much lower than what ‘staffers’are paid for doing the same work.Nobody wants to rattle the cage, forfear of being booted out of it. This is thekind of ‘always on’ environment thatMiwo Sado would have entered as ayoung journalist.

Performance enhancersWorkplace wellness initiatives don’twork, according to Pfeffer. Smokingcessation programmes, nap rooms,yoga mats and juice bars are cosmetic,a mere sticking plaster. “Your tendencyto overeat, overdrink, and take drugsare affected by your workplace,” hesays. “When people like their lives, andthat includes work life, they will do abetter job of taking care of themselves.When they don’t like their lives, theydon’t.”

Aingeala Flannery.

“Karoshi (death byoverwork) is so

prevalent in Japanthey’ve had

government helplinessince the 1980s toprevent it, and yet,

it prevails.”

We’ve all met workaholics who wearexhaustion like a badge of honour. Ifyou’re not too busy, you must be lazy, oran underachiever, or a sponger. InJapan, most callers to the karoshihotlines, are not the over workers (whoare typically in denial). No, the callersare their spouses, or their mothers, ortheir children, distraught at the tollworkaholism is having on their lives:depression, alcoholism, domesticabuse, suicide.

Kvetching (‘whining’, from the Yiddish ‘tosqueeze or pinch’) about work issomething we all do to let off steam, butthe relief is short-lived. Barely has thecomplaint exited your lips when you’llsay ‘at least I’m not picking spuds’ or ‘itcould be worse – I could be digging awell’, as if either was a prospect for asystems analyst with a Masters incomputer science. The fact that yourgreat-grandfather laboured 16 hours aday seven days a week and was dead atforty-four, doesn’t make your workplaceany safer. The next time you’recemented to your swivel chair, pickingegg salad off your keyboard becauseyou don’t have time to leave your desk,take a moment to Google ‘symptoms ofoverwork’ – insomnia, exhaustion,anxiety, panic attacks, diabetes, stroke,heart failure. It’s all in your head, until itaffects the rest of you.

“We’ve all metworkaholics who wear

exhaustion like a badge of honour.”

I’m writing about media, because it’s thesector I’m qualified to comment on. But Iknow this culture is pervasive –journalists are not a persecutedminority. Burn-out is more than just abuzzword. In his book Dying for APaycheck, Stanford Professor JeffreyPfeffer estimates that in the US,workplace stress – such as long hours,job insecurity and lack of work-lifebalance – contributes to at least120,000 deaths each year andaccounts for up to $190 billion in healthcare costs.

“The fact that your great-grandfather

laboured 16 hours a day seven days a weekand was dead at forty-four, doesn’t make yourworkplace any safer.”

Most worrying, and undocumented, forobvious reasons, is the rise in nootropicdrug use in the workplace to enhanceperformance. For my generation thismeant chain-smoking and drinkingcoffee by the gallon, now it meansenergy drinks by the crate and secretconsumption of so called ‘smart drugs’to improve concentration and short-term memory. These range fromsynthetic creatine, long used bybodybuilders as a performanceenhancer, to amphetamines andmethylphenidate, including Adderall andRitalin, commonly prescribed to treatADHD. Both are addictive and can haveserious life-threatening side effectswhen misused.

Blessed mealtimePfeffer is right, we need to look at theworkplace not the worker. Work-lifebalance is not about improving your dietand your time management skills. Again,I say look to Germany, where last yearIG Metall, the juggernaut trade unionrepresenting metalworkers won theright for 900,000 of its members towork a 28 hour week where employeesneed to look after children or elderly andsick relatives. Not only do the Germanshave productivity levels the rest of theworld envies, they have their prioritiesstraight. Let me tell you about Mahlzeit,literally ‘blessed mealtime’. It’s what theycall lunch hour in the Germanworkplace, everybody takes it, and it isabsolutely non-negotiable. Think aboutthat the next time you’re eating out of abag at your desk n


Food


Daniel Devery.

PICTURE THE scene. It’s early in theday before you go back to work after thefestivities of New Year.

You wander into the kitchen with vaguethoughts of breakfast. You open thefridge. There’s a piece of Christmaspudding in a container.

Beside the sink there’s a handful ofchocolate sweets in a bowl. You turn the

kettle on. Tea will be soothing and giveyou time to plan breakfast.

As you take the first two sips you grabtwo of those chocolates to have withthe tea.

Well, it’s one way to get rid of them.

And so it goes. The remnants ofseasonal excess are gradually disposed

of and newspapers and magazines are(ahem) full of advice on new-year-detoxing.

All those salty, fatty, sugary, gooey,boozy treats became the daily normaround the beginning of December. Nowyou’re shoving spinach, kale, blueberriesand yoghurt into a blender thinking “fivedays of this and I’ll be grand.”

The irony, of course, is that we’re forcedto believe it’s a good idea to switch fromone binge to another. Your body hasother ideas.

You go into work the next day, andsomebody’s left a tin of unwantedDanish butter biscuits in the staffkitchen and your new-year-new-yougreen smoothie revolution crashes to ashame-inducing halt.

Enough of this madness I say.

crispy sweet and refreshing. Keepyourself hydrated, lots of water, andthat tin of Danish butter biscuits in thestaff kitchen will remain untouched.

Plan your foodComing home in these long winterevenings is another challenge entirely. Aglass of water will keep your hand out ofthe last of the chocolates (there’s onlycoffee creams and strawberry fondantsleft, and nobody likes those anyway) andplanning your meals in advance will helpyou make better choices.

Of course, stretching your financesbetween the December and January paydays is another challenge.

And that’s another good reason to stockup on fresh veg. Another staple I enjoyin the winter months is an all-veg curry.

A pot that combines roasted butternutsquash or pumpkin, cauliflower, spinach,chick peas, onions, carrots, celery,tinned tomatoes, coconut milk, garlic,ginger and spices (or some variationcombining a range of these ingredients)can be cooked slowly at the weekendand provide an easy dinnertime optionwith freshly cooked wholegrain rice, andsome steamed green veg on the side.

Eating habits change throughout the year and in theearly cold months it can be a challenge to get back toa healthier diet after all the midwinter excess.DANIEL DEVERY advises to ditch the guilt andshame of New Year detox plans, stock up on veg anddrink some water, it’ll be grand.

Spring greens and

good intentions

Jack andSaminJACK MONROE ismore than just afood writer. A UKjournalist andactivist whocampaigns on foodpoverty and hungerrelief – her blog, AGirl Called Jack,documented Monroe’s experience ofpreparing nutritious food whilesurviving on benefits.

In an age when reliance on foodbanks for working families has beensomehow normalised, Monroe is avocal critic of the austerity policiesthat have made food poverty a realityin one of the world’s wealthiestcountries.

Monroe’s latest book, Cooking on aBootstrap was initially launched lastyear as a limited edition onKickstarter. Monroe reached thefunding target in just one day, anddonated 500 copies to UK foodbanks.

Monroe was named ‘best foodpersonality’ at the Observer FoodMonthly awards in 2018.

Check out @BootstrapCook onTwitter for recipes, campaigns andmore.

Samin Nosrat(@CiaoSamin)first came to myattention when sheappeared inMichael Pollan’sexcellent Netflixseries Cooked.

She now has her own Netflix series,based on her best-selling book Salt,Fat, Acid, Heat.

While cooking at the famed ChezPanisse restaurant in Berkely,California at the start of her career,she noticed that, amid the chaos ofthe kitchen, these four keyprinciples were applied by herfellow chefs to make their food tastebetter.

I heartily recommend the Netflixshow. If that inspires you, the bookneeds to go on your 2019 wish list n

Phot

o: d

ream

stim

e.co

m

“Take your time withpreparing a pot like thisand you’ll even convincethe hardened carnivores

in the house.”Remember, that mid-winter festival werecently merried our way through washow our ancestors managed to endurethe cold harsh winters without the aid ofcentral heating.

Their harvest plenty provided extracalories for warmth. As the daysbrightened in the Spring, they workedoff the winter excess in the forests,fields and (later) factories.

ShameIt’s the guilt and shame we need todispense with. All those five-days-to-lose-five-pounds plans are a one wayticket to low self-esteem. How can weswitch from feasting to fasting withoutmaking ourselves utterly miserable?

Well, let’s start small. Think of a fewthings to have in the store cupboard inthe early weeks of the year that willprovide nourishment and wellbeing.

Oats are a good place to start. I lost thehabit of making porridge a few yearsago and revived it just as the coldweather started to bite last year. Iturned to YouTube for advice on how tomake a decent, creamy porridge.

Jamie Oliver is worth checking out onthis. Don’t cook oats with milk (the milkscalds) and stir constantly over a gentleheat with a 3:1 ratio of water to oats(and a pinch of salt). In terms oftechnique it’s a like a very simple risotto.

I quickly warmed to this revived dailyroutine. Light to digest and releasing itsenergy slowly, this is a breakfast thatwill keep you going until lunch.

Speaking of lunch, a homemadesandwich will keep costs down andcontrol your portion sizes.

Hungry at 11am? Believe it or not,apples are at their best this time of year,

“Now you’re shovingspinach, kale,

blueberries and yoghurtinto a blender thinking“five days of this and

I’ll be grand.”

Take your time with preparing a pot likethis and you’ll even convince thehardened carnivores in the house. Yourbody – and the planet – could use a restfrom all that mid-winter animal fatconsumption.

Have a brewHaving waded through a small lake ofred or white wine during the festivities,probably best to just knock it on thehead for a few weeks, or confine it tothe weekend. Not to sound too po-facedabout all this, but herbal teas make asoothing and tasty alternative as youput your feet up to rest for the evening.

And there you have it. It’s not a diet or adetox plan, just a different way to thinkabout how we can ease ourselves intothe brighter evenings and leave behindall the glorious excess of the mid-winter.

It’ll be grand n


Travel


Una-Minh Kavanagh.

TOPPING MANY lists for travellers in2019 is Sri Lanka. The island nation justsouth of India is well known for itswelcoming people, cheap prices andbreath-taking scenery. Despite its size,the country caters to every sort oftourist.

Love the ocean? Sri Lanka has a longhistory of scuba diving, snorkelling andsurfing. Nature lovers will be spoiled forchoice with its rich biodiversity andwildlife, and there’s a multitude of roadsthat wind through mountains, forestsand paddy fields as you’re taking in theSri Lankan culture.

Things like safaris will boost the cost ofyour stay but food, accommodation andtransport are generally very cheap.Also, it offers the opportunity to loungeon quiet beaches. Depending on yourfunds, you can easily roam on abackpacker’s budget or splash out onmore luxurious experiences.

MoroccoWith warm sun all year around and justfour hours in the air from Dublin,Morocco offers a feast for the senses.

Wind through the bustling souks ofMarrakech where a burst of colourawaits or unwind by the sun-soakedshores of Agadir, while the port city ofTangier is enjoying a bit of a revival as adestination.

If you love the great outdoors and lushgreen valleys, the highest mountainrange in North Africa, the AtlasMountains, are also scattered withhistorical ruins, markets and mosques.With kasbahs rising from the desert,ancient bazaars as well as the moremodern conveniences, Morocco willdelight new holidaymakers.

The MaldivesWhen people think of the Maldives, theyusually imagine it to be one of thosedestinations that oozes luxury withocean-based cabins and white sands.This glorious paradise was once knownfor being inaccessible for those withlimited funds. However, the latesttrends suggest that it’s becoming moreaffordable as the years go on. Instead ofthose fancy resorts, consider AirBnB orsmall guesthouses. For an authenticexperience, at guesthouses you canoften eat Maldivian cuisine as a group orwith the owner’s family which isincluded in the price. You can still get allthe access to those gorgeous whitebeaches and crystal blue ocean too.

NamibiaNamibia gets an average of 300 days ofsunshine annually. From June toSeptember, however, it’s considered“winter time” with temperatures ofbetween 20-24°C; ideal for Irish peoplewho can’t handle the heat.

The country has seven indigenousgroups that you can visit throughsustainable tourism so there’s plenty toappreciate here. Good news too, ifyou’re Irish and visiting this country forless than 90 days as a tourist, you don’tneed to get a visa.

GreenlandSounds strange, doesn’t it? ButGreenland in the summer offers afantastic contrast to what’s usually asnow-covered country most of the year.Though three-quarters of Greenland iscovered by the only permanent icesheet outside Antarctica, when thewater melts away what it leaves is anabundance of wildlife with flowers andlush wilderness clinging to hillsides.

While not the most heavily populatedcountry (55,000), it still boasts smallcommunities that are full of life anddeeply connected with nature. Cateredmore to the outdoorsy types, visitorscan cycle to Russell Glacier, enjoy thescenery by foot or explore the southernpart of the island by kayak.

There are also many expedition cruisesthat tourists can avail of where you cantake in the surrounding icebergs, polarbears and whales.

CroatiaCroatia these days is an absolute travelhotspot but instead of heading to theinsanely popular Dubrovnik and Zagreb,why not pop over to Makarska instead?

While it’s worth heading to the formercities, this port city at the foot of the

Biokovo Mountain is known for itspicturesque scenery and historical oldtown centre. It’s also right on theAdriatic Sea.

Destination summer

New Year celebrations have come and gone and for many of thoseeasing themselves into 2019, it’s time to book their travels inanticipation of the summer. While places like Alicante, Tenerife andBarcelona are staples for Irish holidaymakers, these days there aremore deals for travellers and people are now willing to go furtherafield. UNA-MINH KAVANAGH looks at some of the top summerholiday destinations for 2019.

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Sri Lanka.

Not only that but due to the country’slow population density it makes it theperfect spot to go stargazing.NamibRand Nature Reserve in Namibiais one of the top places for getting themost out of the midnight sky. One of thecountry’s biggest draws is its vibrant redsand dunes which are said to be thehighest in the world.

PanamaCheaper than its bustling neighbour,Costa Rica, Panama is nestled in theCaribbean and boasts clear blue waterson one side and the swells of the PacificOcean on the other.

A slice of paradise, snorkel your waythrough Panama’s reefs, zip line throughrainforests or simply bask in thisculturally diverse country. Famous forThe Panama Canal, which connects theAtlantic with the Pacific, its capital isalso cosmopolitan and edgy withshimmering skyscrapers and Art Decogems similar to cities like Miami.

Namibia.

Greenland.

Zlatni Rat (Golden Cape) on theisland of Brač in Croatia.

The city is known for its Mediterraneanvegetation and long, warm summerswhich are delightfully cooled by abreeze known as the Maestral. Nearbyis the second largest city in Croatia,Split. You can also plan day trips tonearby Brač, one of over 1000 Croatianislands best known for the uniquepeninsular white-pebble beach ZlatniRat (Golden Cape).

SloveniaSandwiched between Italy, Hungary andAustria, this small country has a slice ofcoastline also on the Adriatic Sea.Those who love architecture mayconsider heading to its capital Ljubljanawhich sports a mix of Baroque,Renaissance and Art Nouveau buildings.

Alternatively, take in a contrastingexperience by visiting karst caves andthe rolling hills and forests. From Juneto September visitors flock to Lake Bledwhich has the longest swimming seasonof an Alpine lake in Europe. Not onlythat, Slovenia boasts approximately2,000 hours of sunshine a year n


Culture Vulture


I am

Tonie WalshI AM Tonie Walsh tells the story ofIreland's seismic social change from theperspective of someone who livedthrough it, gloriously, in full technicolourand (mostly) after dark.

As we enter the upstairs theatre spaceat Project Arts Centre, the stage issurrounded on three sides by theaudience. At the centre of thisarrangement, the floor is adorned with alarge pink triangle, a symbol with acomplicated history but synonymouswith the gay rights movement.

Within this space stands a DJ, our hostfor the evening. He’s spinning discs ontwo turntables as the audience taketheir seats. He is the living legend, clubimpresario, DJ, activist, historian,‘Godfather of Gay’ in Ireland and masterstoryteller Tonie Walsh.

For decades he has fought tirelessly forcivil rights – for housing rights, women'srights, and queer rights – while thecountry changed around him. This ispart memoir, part manifesto, as Tonie isalso here to tell us why there's still fire inhis belly.

Hirschfeld Tonie takes us on a whistle-stop tour ofhis family’s own fascinating history,steeped both in bohemianism andactivism. His mother a classicallytrained dancer, and father a musician,Tonie conjures them to life for us, hintingat the roots of his own life-long love ofmusic and dance.

Dublin is, and always has been, hisplayground and his stage since he madethe move from Clonmel in the late1970s. Within a few months of hisdiscovery of Dublin’s Hirschfeld Centrein Temple Bar, he’s on the board of theNational Gay Federation (NGF) whichwas founded in 1979.

The Hirschfeld Centre was Ireland's firstLGBT community centre, named afterthe prominent German doctor andsexologist, Magnus Hirschfeld, andestablished at a time when a run-downTemple Bar was in mortal danger ofbeing turned into a bus station.

The Hirschfeld included a meetingspace, café, cinema and a nightclub that

would eventually become known asFlikkers, the birthplace of Dublin’sdance culture. This was the beatingheart of Ireland’s gay subculture andTonie brings it lovingly to life.

The centre was destroyed by fire on 4thNovember 1987. However, the culturaland activist movement that startedthere would forge on. In one of theshow’s finer metaphors, the twin decksupon which Walsh plays classic tracksby Viola Wills, Pet Shop Boys andAretha Franklin (check out the I amTonie Walsh playlist on Spotify) arerevealed as the very decks that survivedthe Hirschfeld fire.

Pride and joy and griefThe Hirschfeld was the epicentre of Irishgay culture at a time when to be openlygay was still fraught with significant

personal risk, the brutal truth of which isrevisited in Tonie’s account of the deathof Aer Rianta worker Declan Flynn.

Flynn was attacked and killed in Dublin’sFairview Park in in 1982. His murder,and the fact that those who murderedhim walked free, became the catalystfor the LGBTQ Pride movement inIreland, bringing together a broad rangeof supporters, including trade unions.

As Tonie takes us through the 1980s,the devastation of AIDS is both globaland personal. Close friends are conjuredon to the stage. We get to know themand, in this intimate telling, we areexposed to the raw and brutal grief theAIDS crisis imposed upon those leftbehind. We are also reminded, in starkpersonal terms, that it is with us still.

But happier times are retold throughout.Nights of blissful play on the

dancefloors of Dublin are recalled as thedarkness of the 1980s segues into thesense of seismic change that Toniewitnesses when he returns to Dublin in1991 following a London hiatus.

PowderbubbleThe passage of the Criminal Law(Sexual Offences) 1993 Bill in June1993, five years after the ruling by theEuropean Court of Human Rights, and16 years after Senator David Norristook his case to the Irish courts, marks awatershed. Irish people would no longerbe treated as criminals, just because ofwho they were.

Continuing their strong track record for innovativetheatre and performance, thisispopbaby returnedto the stage of the Project Arts Centre recentlywith a powerful and personal show about one ofIreland’s great icons of cultural activism, TonieWalsh. NIALL SHANAHAN was there.

Niall Shanahan.

By his own admission, Tonie Walsh hasbeen making a show of himself hiswhole life. He has thrown Dublin's mostseminal parties, and came second placein the inaugural Alternative Miss Irelandin 1987. ‘Transgression’ has been botha personal trademark and a badge ofhonour, and the word emerges againseveral times over the course of theevening.

Living legend and master storyteller Tonie Walsh.

“‘Transgression’ has beenboth a personal trademarkand a badge of honour, and

the word emerges againseveral times over thecourse of the evening.”

And this is a turning point that coincideswith Ireland’s development as anoutward-looking and confident country.This is also when Tonie’s career as clubimpresario comes into its own.

Collaborating with graphic designerNiall Sweeny, Panti creator Rory O'Neilland Karim Rehmani-White, HamProductions is the collective behind clubnights like Gag and Powderbubble,marking a new era of Dublin nightlife,where the wider community is groovingto the intoxicating beat of thetransgressive drums, and where theseeds of a more inclusive Ireland arenurtured.

Love and careWalsh returned to Clonmel to care forhis mother in the last years of her life,and his intimate portrait of providingcare is powerfully moving. The finale ofthe show is a rallying call to arms, aswell as a salute to absent friends.

Tonie remains highly charged on a rangeof issues, from housing to sexual healthand human rights. He argues that themajor gains of the progressivecampaigns of his lifetime are merelyfoundations for the remaining work tobe done.

His challenge to us all, as we raised ourglasses, is to get back out there and seethat it’s done.

This sold-out show had a short run inDublin’s Project Arts Centre lastNovember, concluding on World AIDSDay, 1st December. The company plansto tour the show in 2019. Subscribe atthisispopbaby.com for details n

Tonie argues thatthe major gains of

the progressivecampaigns of his

lifetime are merelyfoundations for

the remainingwork to be done.

“This is part memoir, partmanifesto, as Tonie is alsohere to tell us why there's

still fire in his belly.”

Written by Walsh and Philip McMahon,and directed by Tom Creed, whatfollows is a powerful and engaging tripthrough time in Tonie’s charming andlyrical company. Ph

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41The magazine for Fórsa members40 Winter-Spring 2019

Music

I’VE ALWAYS been okay with minoritygroups. I never minded the populistgoading of Man United and Liverpoolsupporters in the pre Wenger-era. Theywould often ask me if it was true thatthe Dublin Arsenal Supporters Club heldits meetings in a telephone box on thequays.

Recently, my minority status has beenonce again established as I didn’t feelcompelled to race out to see FreddieMercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. If Iwas served a subpoena compelling meto go and see this film I would shred it.

I suspect my editor has been swept upin this populist rock god fever. Publicly,I’m sure he claims to be appalled by thefilm’s sanitised revisionism andsimplification of Mercury’s life story[Editor’s note: Maybe.]. But I bet he stillwatches Anton Corbijn’s pretentiouslow-fi black and white biopic of JoyDivision’s Ian Curtis, Control (2007), atleast once a year [Editor’s note: Yes. YesI do.]

This contradiction, naturally, representsa gross double standard. If there’s oneconstant pursued in this column, it’s theneed to assimilate double standardsinto a singularity of purpose.

MarmiteAs a band, Queen are like Marmite – loveit or hate it – as our EU-departingneighbours might say. In all my years ofgrocery shopping in Dublin 11, I’ve yet

to see a single jar of Marmite purchasedor stolen. But, for an old mod boy, I’vemuch admiration for some of Queen’santics and innovation.

“Bohemian Rhapsody is a can ofearworms, one of those musicalconfections that gets into your headwhether you like it or not, and staysthere forever” says A.O. Scott of theNew York Times, and he’s spot-on.

They were, for me, always a bit over thetop musically, but even the grimmest ofmy music critic anorak associates couldnot take away credit for marvellousinnovation and a lot of raw cheek. RogerDaltrey serves high praise for FreddieMercury: “The man has got a lot of balls.He’s an original.” I can’t argue with that.

Nobody else could have gotten awaywith Mercury’s 1978 paean to what

actually makes the rockin’ world goround; it’s Freddie and that’s okay. Justas Laurel and Hardy shared a doublebed in the 1930s without attractingoutrage, when you’re good you’re good.

Live AidAnyone I’ve spoken to about the movietalks about the climactic re-creation ofQueen’s seminal 1985 Live Aidperformance. While it’s probably a hugetechnical achievement to haverecreated it in so much detail, I can’thelp thinking, “lads, it’s on YouTube.”

Is the movie industry going to continueturning out a succession of biopics topreserve the status of the rock god?

80s. A Talking Heads live concert filmedby the late, great Jonathan (Silence ofThe Lambs) Demme.

It wasn’t a corny biopic, just a good oldfashioned big screen concert, and it’sstill getting the odd sold-out screeningat Dublin’s Sugar Club.

Late-night drinking at that time wasconfined to posh wine bars on Leeson Stand Northsiders didn’t know whereLeeson St was, or indeed what winewas.

Freddie himself once said “when I’mdead I want to be remembered as amusician of some worth and substance”.In Freddie’s honour, I recommend youtake out the albums Sheer Heart Attackand Night at the Opera and listen toBring back Leroy Brown/GoodCompany/Seaside Rendezvous andDeath on Two Legs.

In the meantime, I’m off to check whenBBC4 is next re-running ‘The Kinks –Village Green Preservation Society’ andmaybe follow it up with a trivia quiz onthe subject.

Is this the real life, or is this justfantasy? n

Bohemian Rocketman

It’s a little known fact that RAYMOND CONNOLLY, before being called tothe bar in 1978 (“last orders folks!”) was a scholar of the classics. Whenapproached to share his thoughts on musical matters for this edition, hereplied “Reversi Sint enim Deorum est fortis.” We had to look it up: “The Godsof Rock have returned,” says he. He was referring to the return of Queen andElton John in the form of the rock music biopic. He’s not impressed. Raymond

Connolly.

“Almost always, the creativededicated minority has

made the world better” -Martin Luther King Jnr.

“Where’s the Judean People’sPopular Front? … That’s him

over there” – The Life of Brian.

Freddie Mercury.

Elton John.

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“It wasn’t a corny biopic,just a good old fashionedbig screen concert, andit’s still getting the oddsold-out screening atDublin’s Sugar Club.”

I might as well tell you, I wasdisappointed with Queen’s set list onLive Aid. The set consisted of BohemianRhapsody/Radio Ga-Ga/Ay-Oh/Hammerto Fall/Crazy Little Thing CalledLove/We Will Rock You/We are theChampions.

My disappointment remains that therewas no Killer Queen/Seven Seas ofRhye/Fat-Bottomed Girls/Another OneBites the Dust and maybe Killer Queenagain! Call me a contrarian (everyoneelse does), but that’s a better set list.

Instead of following the mob down toyour local Cineplex to see the rest of theband settle old scores about who reallywrote the big Queen hits, have a look atQueen’s 1975 performance at theHammersmith Odeon.

It was broadcast by the BBC’s The OldGrey Whistle Test and is readilyavailable on YouTube. It has a lot moresubstance than Rami Malek donning aset of prosthetic teeth and declaring“tonight Matthew, I’m going to beFreddie Mercury.”

ReginaldAlso coming to a cinema near you isRocketman featuring Sir Elton HerculesJohn CBE or (to his ma) ReginaldKenneth Dwight.

There’s always room for the journeyfrom the sublime and the ridiculous but Istill cannot fathom how one and thesame artist can produce Rocketman andGoodbye Yellow Brick Road and thenthen churn out cheese like Candle in theWind and Nikita. I reckon he got luckyearly doors.

“Is the movie industry goingto continue turning out asuccession of biopics topreserve the status of

the rock god? If so,mister producer I have a

movie pitch for you.”If so, mister producer, I have a moviepitch for you. It’s called Dave Lee Roth isGreat Craic and opens with mister DLRhimself grinning at the camera andsaying “I used to jog but the ice cubeskept falling out of my glass” or “I’m afamily oriented guy, I’ve personallystarted four or five this year.”

You can contact me via the editor.

This must be the placeI recall fondly the Friday nightscreenings of Stop Making Sense inDublin’s Ambassador Cinema in the mid-

Win win win

The small print*You must be a paid-up Fórsa member to win.Only one entry per person (multiple entrieswill not be considered). Entries must reachus by Friday 8th March 2019. The editor’sdecision is final. That’s it!

Just answer fiveeasy questionsand you couldwin €50.YOU COULD have an extra €50 tospend by answering five easy questionsand sending your entry, name andaddress to Hazel Gavigan, Fórsa prizequiz. Fórsa, Nerney’s court, Dublin,D01 R2C5. We’ll send €50 to the firstcompleted entry pulled from the hat.*All the answers can be found in thepages of this magazine.

WIN €50

1. Queen classic BohemianRhapsody is described by NewYork Times critic AO Scott as acan of what?

a. Wormsb. Lagerc. Beansd. Earworms

2. Fórsa president Ann McGee hailsfrom:

a. Ferbane, Offalyb. Inchicore, Dublin c. Dromahair, Leitrimd. Tyrrellspass, Westmeath

3. What’s the UK food writer andactivist Monroe’s first name?

a. Marilynb. Mattc. Jackd. Jill

4. Fórsa was formed on which datein 2018?

a. 1st Januaryb. 2nd January c. 3rd January d. 4th January

5. Which Kevin is Fórsa’s deputygeneral secretary?

a. Baconb. Foleyc. Callinand. Kline


PRIZEQUIZ

WIN€50

PRIZE CROSSWORD

Win €50 bycompleting thecrossword andsending yourentry, name andaddress toHazel Gavigan,Fórsacrossword,Fórsa, Nerney’sCourt, Dublin,D01 R2C5, byFriday 8thMarch 2019.We’ll send €50to the firstcorrect entrypulled from thehat.

ISSUE 4 (AUTUMN-WINTER) WINNERS:

CROSSWORD: Thomas Coll, Donegal. QUIZ: Gemma Harris, Co. Dublin. SURVEY: Aisling McGovern, Dublin 2.

ISSUE 4 (AUTUMN-WINTER) CROSSWORD SOLUTIONS:

ACROSS: 7. Sabena 8. Enamel 9. Opal 10. Cardigan 11. Leif Erikson 14. Simona Halep 18. Moussaka 19. Gift 20. Alkali 21. Allure DOWN 1. Harpies 2. Hell 3. Cancer 4. Henrik 5. Manitoba 6. Regan 12. Friesian 13. Wexford 15. Oxalic 16. Avatar 17. Fools 19. Gold

Crossword composed by Peter Connaughtan .

ACROSS7. Bahamian capital and D2

street (6)8. Chairman of the PLO, he died

in 2004 (6)9. The largest organ of the

human body (4)10. Rugby stadium in Cape

Town (8)11. A fear of water, also a

symptom of rabies (11)14. I shrank a sad family (11)18. Yuletide comedy, starring

Billy Bob Thornton (3,5)19. Claude founded a

renowned champagne house in 1743 (4)

20. Dish of pork sausages, rashers, spuds and onions (6)

21. U.S. state, capital Topeka (6)

DOWN1. Daniel Day Lewis character

found in Croke Park (7)2. Numeric book identifier,

in short (1,1,1,1)3. Pi – a root vegetable (6)4. Former South Korean

moto manufacturer (6)5. In japan, ritual disembowelment,

also known as Seppuku (8)6. One of only three players to

retain the U.S. Masters (5)12. Gershwin wrote this in blue (8)13. The Patella (7)15. How tight is the fabric

measurement? (6)16. In West Side Story, the rivals

of the Jets (6)17. Fair City character played by

Aisling O’Neill (5)19. These Clouds won the 2015

Grand National (4)

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8

9 10

11 12

13

14 15 16

17

18 19

20 21

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WE HOPE you enjoyed this issue of Fórsa, themagazine for Fórsa members. We want to hearyour views, and we’re offering a €100 prize toone lucky winner who completes thisquestionnaire.

The small print*You must be a paid-up Fórsa member to win. Only one entry per person (multiple entries will not be considered).

Entries must reach us by Friday 8th March 2019. The editor’s decision is final. That’s it!

Simply complete this short survey and send it to Hazel Gavigan, Fórsa survey,Fórsa, Nerney’s Court, Dublin, D01 R2C5. You can also send your views by email [email protected]. We’ll send €100 to the first completed entry pulled from a hat.*

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