Latest news with #Fórsa
RTÉ News
14 hours ago
- RTÉ News
'Life changing injuries' - Staff fears over safety after Oberstown incidents
A staff member has been left with "life changing injuries" following a number of violent attacks on workers at a children's detention centre in Dublin. A total of ten staff at Oberstown Children Detention Campus have sustained injuries across three violent incidents since 8 June. The most recent took place on Wednesday in which nine staff members were injured, four of whom required hospital treatment, and are now expected to be out of work for a month or more. There was also one "very serious incident" on 11 June where a staff member "had their face slashed", trade union Fórsa said. It said that during an attempt to move a young person, a residential social care worker sustained a deep facial injury. Fórsa said no additional protective measures or staffing supports had been put in place by Oberstown management, despite previous violent incidents. Fórsa Media Relations Director Niall Shanahan said the situation at Oberstown is becoming "more critical" due to staff shortages and staff retention issues. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Shanahan said staff have tried to raise the issue of assaults on workers over the last number of years. "Staff have told me that quite frequently they don't have enough staff to cover the shift so they're operating below capacity," he said. Mr Shanahan also pointed to the "difficulty" of staff retention, saying that of the ten new staff that began work at Oberstown in this year, only two of them are still working on the campus. "We have staff who are trying to raise these issues with management at the Oberstown campus and we have a management group who appear unwilling, I think, to engage with the reality as staff are experiencing it," he said. Mr Shanahan said staff members, rather than management, are required to report incidents to gardaí, which he said suggests an "unwillingness" to take responsibility for what is happening to staff. He said the environment on campus is "becoming more and more unsafe" for both residents and staff. He said that Fórsa has contacted Oberstown management for an engagement, which he expects to take place in the next few days. "The longer this goes on and isn't addressed, the more unsafe everybody on the Oberstown campus is," he added. In a statement, the Department of Education said it offers its full support to any member of staff who has been injured during the course of their work. "As with all circumstances of this nature, these matters will be the subject of internal review. The Department does not comment on operational matters relating to Oberstown Children Detention Campus."
The Journal
14 hours ago
- The Journal
Nine staff members at Oberstown injured in third 'very serious' incident in ten days
NINE STAFF MEMBERS at Oberstown Children's Detention Campus were injured on Wednesday in an incident involving one detainee. Trade union Fórsa said four of the injured staff members required hospital treatment as a result of the incident. It comes after two teenagers who were accused of 'savagely' beating a 60-year-old man during a burglary while armed with a machine gun were released at the weekend due to lack of space at the detention campus. In February, The Journal reported that judges were unable to send a number of alleged child offenders to Oberstown because it is at full capacity. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland this morning, Fórsa's media relations director Niall Shanahan said the latest incident is one of three 'very serious incidents' that have happened over a period of ten days. He said a member of staff was assaulted on 8 June. This staff member was also one of the nine staff injured on Wednesday. 'On 11 June, we had one very serious incident where a staff member had their face slashed. It's what's been described to me as a life changing injury.' According to Shanahan, staff at Oberstown have tried to raise 'mounting issues' in relation to staff assaults over the last number of years. Advertisement 'What we have is a situation that's becoming more and more critical, partly due to staff shortages. Staff have told me that it's quite frequently they don't have enough staff to cover the shift, so they are operating below capacity.' Staff retention is also an issue. Of the 10 new staff that Oberstown took in this year, only two of them are still working on the campus. Shanahan said the management group appear 'unwilling to engage with the reality as staff are experiencing it when when they're working their shifts'. 'Given the number of serious injuries that we've had over those three incidents over the last ten days, the staff members are themselves required to report these incidents to the Gardaí. Management don't report to the Gardaí that anything like this has taken place in the campus,' he continued. 'So it suggests an unwillingness, I think, to take responsibility to what's happening to the staff on the campus. But I think more crucially, what we have is an environment that's becoming more and more unsafe, both for residents and for staff.' Shanahan said he has been engaging with staff at Oberstown for the last 15 years, and this has become 'a feature of their working life'. Fórsa contacted the Oberstown management group 'as a matter or urgency', with a meeting expected to take place in the coming days. 'But at this particular point in time, I'm very mindful of the fact that we have, I think, four or five staff from Oberstown who are not going to be able to attend work for at least a month because of their injuries,' Shanahan said, adding that this 'further exacerbates' the staffing problem at the centre. 'The longer this goes on and it isn't addressed, the more unsafe everybody on the Oberstown campus is.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
RTÉ News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
School secretaries and caretakers show support for pension strike
School secretaries and caretakers could strike when schools reopen after the summer break in pursuit of better pension provisions after a trade union ballot returned a strong mandate for such a move. The trade union Fórsa, which represents the school-workers has said 98% of those who voted supported indefinite strike action, with over 81% of those members participating in the ballot. Fórsa represents more than 2,300 school secretaries working in primary and secondary schools and 500 school caretakers. It said the mandate for strike action followed the union's efforts to secure access for school secretaries to the Single Public Service Pension Scheme, from which they remain excluded despite being on the Department of Education's centralised payroll since 2023. Its Education Divisional Executive will now consider the next steps. The union has indicated that an indefinite strike by school secretaries and caretakers commencing on the 28 August at the start of the new school term in the autumn is a possibility. "Our members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action because they believe the campaign for pension equality must be seen through to its conclusion", the union's Head of Education Andy Pike said. "These are committed professionals who contribute to the successful operation of every school, and they should be entitled to the same pension rights as their colleagues across the public service." Mr Pike said the ballot result reflected growing frustration with the continued refusal to grant pension parity despite a 2023 agreement that secured the standardisation of pay, contracts, and centralised payroll arrangements for school secretaries. The union said it is expecting to finalise similar arrangements for school caretakers this year. Mr Pike added: "The absence of pension provision under the Single Public Service Pension Scheme remains a glaring omission. "We urge the Department of Education and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform to re-engage with Fórsa to reach a fair and equitable resolution."
Irish Times
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
School secretaries and caretakers vote to take strike action in August
More than 2,300 school secretaries at primary and secretary schools around the country and 500 caretakers have voted to embark on an indefinite strike when schools return from the summer break in August if a dispute over pensions is not resolved, their trade union has said. Fórsa today said its members in the sector had voted by a huge margin – almost 98 per cent to 2 per cent - in favour of taking action over the issue which centres on their exclusion from the public service pension scheme to which teachers and special needs assistants have access. Fórsa said it will serve notice of the action on schools in the coming week and 'if the issue is not resolved then there will be no caretakers to open or close the schools and there will be no secretaries to do all of the vital work they do on a daily basis'. 'Quite what the impact will be is hard to say because we assume there will be continency plans made but the support our members receive from their colleagues in the schools and from parents will also be a factor,' said the union's head of education, Andy Pike. READ MORE He said the union would be available for 'serious talks' in the coming weeks. 'These are committed professionals who contribute to the successful operation of every school, and they should be entitled to the same pension rights as their colleagues across the public service,' he said. The pension issue has been a point of contention since a wider dispute regarding the status of the school secretaries was resolved two years ago. Talks about standardising the terms and conditions of the caretakers have been continuing. The Department of Education was approached for comment.
Irish Independent
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
School secretaries and caretakers vote in favour of indefinite strike action from start of school term for ‘pension justice'
A Fórsa spokesperson said their members were 'near unanimous' in the ballot result as 98pc supported stoppages. Fórsa said its Education Divisional Executive will now consider the next steps. The spokesperson said an indefinite strike by school secretaries and caretakers will begin at the start of the new school term from August 28. Fórsa represents more than 2,300 school secretaries and 500 school caretakers working in primary and secondary schools. Fórsa is aiming to secure access for school secretaries to a public service pension scheme, known as the Single Public Service Pension Scheme. The spokesperson said they are excluded from the scheme despite being on the Department of Education's centralised payroll since 2023. Andy Pike, Fórsa's head of education, said the ballot result sends a clear message about the strength of feeling among school secretaries and caretakers. 'Our members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action because they believe the campaign for pension equality must be seen through to its conclusion,' he said. 'These are committed professionals who contribute to the successful operation of every school, and they should be entitled to the same pension rights as their colleagues across the public service. He said the ballot result reflects growing frustration with the 'continued refusal' to grant pension parity, despite a 2023 agreement that secured the standardisation of pay, contracts, and centralised payroll arrangements for school secretaries. ADVERTISEMENT Mr Pike said the union expects to finalise similar arrangements for school caretakers this year. 'The agreement in 2023 marked a major milestone in recognising the essential role of school secretaries,' he said. 'But the absence of pension provision under the Single Public Service Pension Scheme remains a glaring omission. Fórsa has always argued that pension justice is an essential part of full equality.' He urged the Department of Education and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform to re-engage with the union. The Irish Independent has asked the Department of Education for a comment.
