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Fórsa (; "Force") is an Irish trade union for
public service A public service is any service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community. Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through public sector agencies ...
staff. With over 80,000 members, it is the largest public service union in Ireland, and second largest trade union in the state.Niall Murray,
80k-member union to be largest public sector representative
', ''
Irish Examiner The ''Irish Examiner'', formerly ''The Cork Examiner'' and then ''The Examiner'', is an Irish national daily newspaper which primarily circulates in the Munster region surrounding its base in Cork, though it is available throughout the country. ...
'', 21 November 2017.
Liz Heron,
Merger creates new union force in Ireland
', Global Government Forum 1 December 2017.
It was created following a ballot of the
Public Service Executive Union The Public Service Executive Union (PSEU) was a trade union representing civil servants in Ireland. The union originated in 1890, when a Dublin branch of the Second Division Civil Servants' Association was founded. In 1918, it became the indepe ...
(PSEU), the
Irish Municipal, Public and Civil Trade Union The Irish Municipal, Public and Civil Trade Union (IMPACT) was a trade union in the Republic of Ireland. It primarily organised workers in education, health, local government and the civil service. It also had members who worked for voluntary an ...
(IMPACT) and the
Civil and Public Services Union The Civil and Public Services Union (CPSU) was an Irish trade union for clerical and administrative grades in the civil service, the wider public sector and the private sector.John B. Smethurst and Peter Carter, ''Historical Directory of Trade Un ...
(CPSU) in November 2017, where the majority of each union voted to amalgamate.Tim O'Brien,
Three unions merge to create new Fórsa ‘super union’ for public service workers
',
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
, 20 November 2017.


Union Composition

The union represents hundreds of different grades, professions, and occupations covering about 30,000 civil servants, 30,000 health workers, 12,000 education staff, 10,000 local authority workers, and 6,500 people in semi-state organisations and private companies. It contains six autonomous divisions, called: # The
Civil Service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
Division # Health & Welfare # Local Government # Education # Municipal Employees # Services and Enterprises (semi and commercial semi-state agencies and companies and private sector employment) Each division's representatives have a biennial conference where it decides its policy regarding that division. On alternate years there is a National conference for the entire union that decides on policy issues for the entire union. The union is governed by a national executive, made up of elected representatives from each of the divisions. Each division is represented on the National Executive in a manner broadly proportionate to the membership strength of each division. The organization has a combined staff of 120 (67 officials and 53 administration). The three outgoing
General secretaries Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the orga ...
of the predecessor unions, Tom Geragthy (PSEU), Eoin Ronayne (CPSU) and Shay Cody (IMPACT) are the initial general secretaries for Fórsa, but following the transfer of Geragthy to the Labour Court, and the retirement of Shay Cody, Eoin Ronayne opted to change his title to "Deputy General secretary" to bring clarity to the structure following following the appointment the new union head. Kevin Callinan. The union has a combined income of more than €20m a year and estimated assets of more than €80m, of which more than €50m will be held in a fund for use in disputes with employers and legal cases.Anne-Marie Walsh,
Public servants vote to form superunion
',
Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...
2 October 2017.


Background

Talks on forming the new union were sparked by a 2011 report of the commission on the Trade Union Movement, which was set up by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to look at the way public service unions were organised. There were 19 unions operating across the public sector at the time. The commission recommended that unions affiliated to the ICTU that were working in common areas should collaborate more closely and explore possible mergers, so they could serve their members better and have more impact.


Reaction

In response to the amalgamation,
Ged Nash Gerald Henry Nash (born 7 December 1975) is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Louth constituency since 2020, and previously from 2011 to 2016. He previously served as Minister of State for Business and ...
, the Spokesperson on Employment and Social Protection for the Labour Party said "The decision by IMPACT, CPSU and PSEU to amalgamate into one union, Fórsa, is a positive move for public sector workers and for the trade union movement generally."Ged Nash,
Nash welcomes creation of new public sector union
', Labour Party 20 November 2017.
Patricia King,
general secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...
of the
Irish Congress of Trade Unions The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (often abbreviated to just Congress or ICTU), formed in 1959 by the merger of the Irish Trades Union Congress (founded in 1894) and the Congress of Irish Unions (founded in 1945), is a national trade union centr ...
described the merger as "a hugely significant and positive step forward for the trade union movement."Patricia King,
Creation of new Fórsa public service union "highly significant and very positive"
',
ICTU The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (often abbreviated to just Congress or ICTU), formed in 1959 by the merger of the Irish Trades Union Congress (founded in 1894) and the Congress of Irish Unions (founded in 1945), is a national trade union centr ...
20 November 2017.


Issues


Ryanair

In late 2017, the large airline company,
Ryanair Ryanair is an Irish ultra low-cost carrier founded in 1984. It is headquartered in Swords, Dublin, Ireland and has its primary operational bases at Dublin and London Stansted airports. It forms the largest part of the Ryanair Holdings family ...
, which was founded in Ireland announced that for the first time it would recognise Trade unions.Gwyn Topham,
Ryanair to recognise unions to prevent pilots' strike before Christmas
', ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' 15 December 2017.
In Ireland, Ryanair is negotiating with Fórsa and its Irish Airline Pilots' Association (Ialpa) branch.John Mulligan,
Ryanair to meet union again as German pilots threaten strike
',
Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...
4 January 2018.
Ryanair executives and Forsa met for the first time in late 2017, and again in January 2018, aiming to thrash out a "historical negotiating framework" that will later lead to talks on pilot pay and working conditions. Initial talks were described by the union as being "constructive" and that the two sides exchanged views on how a final agreement should look.Barry O'Halloran,
Ryanair talks with pilots ‘constructive’, says union
', ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'' 3 January 2018.
On 9 January, in a letter to all Ryanair pilots employed in Dublin, chief commercial pilot officer Peter Bellew offered pilots at the base a new agreement which he said could secure them pay increases of up to 20%.Cormac Fitzgerald,
Ryanair offers its Dublin pilots a pay rise after it agrees to recognise unions
',
TheJournal.ie ''TheJournal.ie'' is an internet publication in Ireland. It was a mixture of original and aggregated content, before moving to entirely original content. The website was founded in early 2010. It was edited by Jennifer O'Connell in 2010–2011, ...
9 January 2018.
Pilots in Dublin had rejected an earlier deal as part of a dispute over conditions at the airline. One key issue was the refusal to recognise unions to negotiate collectively on behalf of workers. Fórsa had initially agreed to ballot the pilots, but a spokesperson described the Ryanair offer as an "interim measure" pending engagement on pay following completion of a union recognition agreement,RTÉ,
Offer of pay rise for Ryanair's Dublin pilots following union recognition
',
Raidió Teilifís Éireann Raidi (; ; also written Ragdi; born August, 1938) is a Tibetan politician of the People's Republic of China. He served as a vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 2003 to 2008, and the highest ranking Tibeta ...
9 January 2018.
stating "the union has convened meetings with its members in Ryanair, and Fórsa has told management we will ballot on a no-strings pay package as an interim measure, pending engagement on pay following completion of a recognition agreement."Irish Independent,
Fórsa insists Ryanair must talk pay with it
',
Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...
19 January 2018.
The union further emphasized that all future pay agreements should go through it, adding "as Fórsa is now recognised by the company for collective bargaining, pay must be negotiated with the union". However, in February, Ryanair by-passed the union and sent an offer to individual pilots asking them to sign up to the deal which would run until 2022, a package that explicitly freezes any further pay discussions with the union, contradicting the proposed recognition of the pilots union. Consequently, the pilots union agreed not to ballot its members.RTÉ,
Ryanair pilots not prepared to ballot on pay offer
',
Raidió Teilifís Éireann Raidi (; ; also written Ragdi; born August, 1938) is a Tibetan politician of the People's Republic of China. He served as a vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 2003 to 2008, and the highest ranking Tibeta ...
19 February 2018.
Fórsa says it wants to quickly conclude a formal recognition agreement before opening talks with the airline on pay and working conditions. The union has informed Ryanair that it would reconsider putting a package to ballot if it received written assurances that Fórsa was the "sole and exclusive representative body for collective bargaining purposes including pay, terms and conditions" for Ryanair pilots employed in Ireland, assurances that accepting the package would not preclude negotiations with Fórsa on members' pay and conditions, the backdating of pay awards following pay negotiations, or any third-party recommendation being implemented. However, Ryanair continued to refuse to accept any negotiated settlement with Fórsa. Eventually, in July, Fórsa members finally agreed to actually go strike to protect their rights, the final straw being pilots seeking a basic system covering base allocation and transfer, promotion, the timing of annual leave and other issues determined by length of service.Irish Times,
Ryanair pilots vote for strike action on July 12th
', ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'' 3 July 2018.
99% of pilots balloted supported going without pay and committing to an ongoing strike. In response, Ryanair sought to disrupt the union by threatening to fire 300 pilots, a move that
Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gri ...
described as "bully-boy tactics" and "shameful". Fórsa described the actions by Ryanair as an "unnecessary decision" adding that it "demonstrates management's unwillingness and/or inability to implement the airline's declared intention to agree working conditions with its staff by negotiating with their chosen trade union representatives... However, the union sees today's announcement as a provocative gesture which is likely to harden pilots’ resolve."Irish Mirror,
Ryanair pilots strike 2018: Threat to axe 300 jobs described as 'bully-boy tactics'
',
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
26 July 2018.
Eventually Ryanair relented and went into negotiations with the union, and on 23 August an agreement was reached between both sides.Irish Examiner,
Agreement reached between pilots and Ryanair
', ''
Irish Examiner The ''Irish Examiner'', formerly ''The Cork Examiner'' and then ''The Examiner'', is an Irish national daily newspaper which primarily circulates in the Munster region surrounding its base in Cork, though it is available throughout the country. ...
'' 23 August 2018.


Section 39 Workers

Fórsa has approved a campaign of industrial action "to win pay restoration in agencies that are funded by the public health service, but which operate independently of the HSE".Stephen Rogers,
Fórsa latest trade union to threaten industrial action over lack of pay restoration
', ''
Irish Examiner The ''Irish Examiner'', formerly ''The Cork Examiner'' and then ''The Examiner'', is an Irish national daily newspaper which primarily circulates in the Munster region surrounding its base in Cork, though it is available throughout the country. ...
'' 12 January 2018.
A section 39 agency is an agency that an agency that receives grant funding from the
Health Service Executive The Health Service Executive (HSE) ( ga, Feidhmeannacht na Seirbhíse Sláinte) is the publicly funded healthcare system in Ireland, responsible for the provision of health and personal social services. It came into operation on 1 January 2005 ...
(HSE) for providing services. Unlike voluntary hospitals and agencies which receive HSE money to deliver services on its behalf (section 38 bodies), staff working in section 39 organisations are not public servants, do not have public service pensions and are not directly bound by Government pay policy.Martin Wall,
Over €100,000 paid to 24 bosses at funded bodies
', ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'' 22 July 2014.
However, traditionally staff in these agencies were linked to (or paid the same as) public sector staff, and when Public Sector pay cuts were made, these were also applied to section 39 agency staff. However, staff in these agencies were not awarded the same pay restoration that was agreed with Public Sector staff unions in 2017. In January 2018, Fórsa joined with its sister union
SIPTU SIPTU (; ''Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union''; ga, An Ceardchumann Seirbhísí, Tionsclaíoch, Gairmiúil agus Teicniúil) is Ireland's largest trade union, with around 200,000 members. Most of these members are in the Rep ...
, and approved a campaign of industrial action. The union said a significant number of agencies have failed to act, even though they have the money to do so – it intends to focus action on those groups. The Government then, on 30 January, agreed to a proposal to establish a process to deal with pay restoration for Section 39 workers with Fórsa. The agreement involved the Government was establishing a process to find out how many people were affected and much it would cost to resolve the issue. The process would also seek to establish which organisations had received an increased block grant but had not passed on some of that to its workers.Marie O'Halloran, Martin Wall
Taoiseach says efforts underway to resolve Section 39 pay row
', ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'' 31 January 2018.
However, by July 2018 the Government had still not resolved the issue, and talks between them and Fórsa collapsed. Fórsa balloted its relevant members for a strike on 18 September, which would be alongside colleagues in
SIPTU SIPTU (; ''Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union''; ga, An Ceardchumann Seirbhísí, Tionsclaíoch, Gairmiúil agus Teicniúil) is Ireland's largest trade union, with around 200,000 members. Most of these members are in the Rep ...
.Martin Wall
Section 39 health staff to strike over pay restoration
', ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'' 25 July 2018.


Driving Tests

In February 2018, it was reported that more than 80,000 people were waiting to be tested for their drivers license.Evelyn Ring
Fórsa: Hire 100 driver testers or wait times will double
', ''
Irish Examiner The ''Irish Examiner'', formerly ''The Cork Examiner'' and then ''The Examiner'', is an Irish national daily newspaper which primarily circulates in the Munster region surrounding its base in Cork, though it is available throughout the country. ...
'' 16 February 2018.
In mid-February, the Dáil approved a Road Traffic Bill that meant that car owners who allow unaccompanied learner drivers to use their vehicles could face prosecution for the first time under new measures approved by Cabinet this week. Fórsa advised that measures in the amended Road Traffic Bill could double demand in the short term, potentially increasing driving-test waiting times up to 55 weeks. The union detailed that 25 extra driver testers should be employed permanently to meet increased demand and for another 100 testers to be hired on temporary contracts if demand surges, as expected, in response to the Road Traffic Bill.


Leadership


General Secretaries

:2018: Shay Cody, Tom Geraghty, and Eoin Ronayne :2019: Kevin Callinan


Deputy General Secretaries

:2018: Kevin Callinan :2019: Eoin Ronayne and Matt Staunton :2022: Éamonn Donnelly and Matt Staunton


References


External links

* Official Web Site http://forsa.ie/ {{Authority control Trade unions established in 2018 Trade unions in the Republic of Ireland Public sector trade unions 2018 establishments in Ireland