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FÓRSA, IRELAND’S LARGEST public sector trade union has published its election manifesto in which workers have called on the next government to test a four-day week, increase pay beyond the level of inflation and protect the right to work remotely.
The union said it wants to see a four-day working week piloted “in parts of the public and civil service, without loss of pay or productivity”.
Fórsa has also called for the minimum wage to be replaced with a living wage, “based on 60% of the median hourly wage, as per the recommendation of the Low Pay Commission and the commitment contained in the 2020 Programme for Government”.
The workers have also called on the next government to use directly employed public servants to carry out and deliver public services “and avoid the outsourcing of duties and services”.
Additionally, Fórsa has called for a publicly provided and publicly funded affordable childcare “that is accessible for all families”.
The union has also made recommendations in the areas of healthcare, gender equality and education, among others.
At the moment, the minimum wage is €12.70 per hour.
“Not only do public servants want to see these changes, but high proportions of those surveyed are also willing to change their voting intentions to support political parties and candidates who commit to these policies,” the union said.
“We are calling on all political parties and candidates for election to support these policies. We are asking for their inclusion in the next Programme for Government and for the next Government to commit to their implementation.”
People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Mick Barry endorsed the four-day week proposal today, saying:
“There is no question but that a four-day working week without loss in pay would be hugely beneficial for both the work/life balance in society and for the fight to reduce carbon emissions.
“Some argue that a shorter working week could pay for itself with increased productivity but I think many companies are making record profits and could afford to take a cut in margins to cover costs.”
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that sounds great but i’m not sure our american multinational overlords are going to agree to 4 day weeks, so it’s not really fair if only public servants get a 4 day week and the rest of us do 5+ while paying their wages.
@eoin fitzpatrick: sounds great indeed. It has been trialled in many private companies in the UK, and has produced excellent results from both employee and employer perspective – 90% of the 60 companies included in the trial decided to continue with the practice. Obviously it wouldn’t suit all companies, and there are some drawbacks and anomolies that would need to be worked out, but definitely worth looking into. As you say though, getting the US multi-nationals on board could be challenging
@eoin fitzpatrick: That’s what the Apple money will be used for.
@Kevin Kerr: get the multinationals on board first. already the civil service have options to work shorter weeks if they want. flexi time, shorter working years, all kinds of options unavailable to the private sector.
people pushing for this in the public sector are clueless. we’re bound to get another recession sooner or later where people lose jobs, while public servants work 4 day weeks and are still have their jobs.
@eoin fitzpatrick: By that clickbait logic that I’ve fallen for don’t they effectively pay their own wages?
@eoin fitzpatrick: Do public sector workers not pay the same tax and VAT that you do?!?! If you’re not happy with your terms vs public sector why don’t you get a job in it! Or move to a private employer that does the 4 day week
@another one? what’s going on is the semi state sec:
so they get paid from the exchequer, and then pay tax back into the exchequer. they don’t actually contribute tax wise, their contribution is via the work they do, not taxes.
i’m happy where i work, i just think it would be an awful PR exercise for the public/civil service to push ahead with this before it happens in the private sector.
@Jack Cass: It is a cost neutral exercise. In fact, if done properly, a 4 day week saves money as there will be less sick leave, increased productivity and 10 to 15% less resources used in managing offices
Have they not been on a four day week for …..ever ?
@JP: exactly they are nothing more than dole busting scroungers.
Whenever this topic comes up, there is usually a slew of comments from people who fail to comprehend that (5 x 8) is the same amount of working hours as (4 x 10). You get paid the same, to do the same amount of work.
Of course this doesn’t suit all jobs, but it would suit many and would actually benefit many sectors of the economy too – additional days off is likely to mean increased demand in the hospitality and food sectors for example.
I have yet to hear any coherent argument against a compressed working week, other than those founded on bitterness, spite and incomprehension.
@Kevin Collins: It works in the private sector as prefomance has to be maintained. There wouldnt be a bulls hope in hell of most of the public sector willing to do 4 x 10hour shifts[8am-6pm] when most office phone lines are closed by 4pm. A clearout of bloated management, streamline services, cross departmental communication, none of this jobs for life despite underprefomance. If the union cant commit to that, you want a 4 day week join the private sector
@James Brennan: exactly. most of the civil service work from home already these days for 3 or 4 days a week.
leaving their laptops on for an extra 2 hours a day is all they’d be doing. anyone who has any experience of the civil service can attest to this.
@Kevin Collins:
Not only that, but you’re saving money commuting less to work.
@Kevin Collins: they not suggesting 4×10 they suggesting 4×8 for the same money.
@Kevin Collins: they arent talking about 8×5. They are talking about 7×4 for the same pay. PS work 35hrs a week. So 28hrs work for 35hrs pay. The same pay as the private sector for 39hrs for the most part.
We have council workers?
@H Woo: their not council worker’s. If they were, their jackets would be branded and they be resting on the shovels
So those with jobs for life, and a pension that most of us can only dream about, want a four day week, and pay increases. But as always with the public sector they are not willing to give anything in return, probably the main reason why we have such a poor public sector in this country. No doubt the government will cave in like they always do to public sector demands.
Great idea for the general population to have more time to spend with family. I don’t know about the civil service. I went out with a guy who works in the Dept of Agriculture. He used to clock into work, then head off into the city for breakfast. I questioned him about it, and he just shrugged his shoulders. It’s obviously rampant in the civil service.
Public service a joke, want a 4 day week and pay beyond inflation.. No, this is tax payers money, and yes I know puplic service taxpayers also before someone says it. Best pensions etc and job security. No way should the get that!
@Vinnie M: if it’s such a utopia, why aren’t you in the public sector?
@Michael O’Callaghan: I couldn’t hack the pressure in the “real world”
@Michael O’Callaghan: you need mummy ,daddy or any relation working in the public sector to get in
@James Moylan: You’re right James, Micheal’s rebuttal lazy and typical of that lot!
@James Moylan: you really don’t, the recruitment process is very transparent, maybe that was true 50 years ago but certainly not now
Taxi driver said he often takes them from offices like DCC during working hours to do shopping. They openly discuss that in his presence. People already pay their salary while they shop around but they they want more.
Civil servants do as little as possible on any given day and now they want to do even less-for a lot more ? Ye couldn’t make it up! Country is gone to the dogs!
No government will go back to direct employment of the services that have been outsourced or been done by semi state bodies, one they dont want the pain of the pensions, two more likey held to ransom with the threat of strikes, three we had enough of nepotism in the city and council councils before the outsourcing happened, and if the office of public expenditure done its job, there woulndnt be the money wasted on bike sheds, security huts and 70grand for 3 sets of curtains from the OPW, and the removal of any threat of been sacked for under prefomance, it would be a shite show to go back down that route. It would be more in line for the union to be demanding a full review of excess management in public sector offices, the removal of jobs for life regardless of prefomance, pensions inline with like for like or similar private sector jobs. With lots of public service offices only available for restricted time frames and or appointments only, a 4 day week would lead to a more bloated work force
@James Brennan: ye, Dublin castle curtains should definitely be from Frawleys
@Acumen: 70grand of 3 sets of curtians as they charge 24quid a tour, shouldnt they be able to cover their own costs.
They’re finding it very difficult to stretch 3 days work over 5 days to be fair.
Something has to give..
@Sickof thisshit: I am sick of this
I’m Belgium, by law, everyone is required a pay increase in January based on the previous year inflation government figures, making all salaries, even minimum wage, indexes to inflation, regardless of what you get paid, so if for example in 2022 inflation was nearly 10%, then everyone got that as pay adjustment, excluding any agreed pay rise, this is not a pay rise, so people may get paid more than the inflation rate in Belgium. And Belgium is still cheaper than Ireland, with less than 10 million people, it has a thriving startup and business environment, unemployment is low and Armageddon didn’t come. Explain why can’t we do that in Ireland?
Will they stop using their 40 days sick pay as holidays?
Will they open the gravy train to hard working private workers, instead if keeping a closed shop,
Will they be held accountable for their idleness?
@Paul: look at the stats. They don’t. And it’s not 40ndays a yesr…It’s 60 crrtified days in four years. After that half pay and then pension rate. Multinational pharmas have better sick pay. Check your facts. . And maybe apply. They recruit all the time. If it’s so fantastic.
@Paul: will they answer the phone ?
@Acumen: multinational employees are actually working.
In many ways union’s have this country destroyed, they only seem to act for already protected and privileged workers and abuse their powers in doing so
Why do unions not support a Dublin allowance like the London one? The whole country seems to think that people in Dublin earn more. Public servants don’t. But housing and childcare are way more expensive.
@Acumen: Let’s get the violins out. You don’t need to live/work in Dublin, I’ve seen you mention to others they should apply to the Public Sectors maybe you should check out Daft.
Gravy train chooooo chooooo
As a private sector employer, I would be in favour of these recommemdations. A 4:day week has been proven to increase productivity in trials over in the UK and in Scandanavia. It also reduces sick leave. Over the years, I have offered this as an option instead of pay increases and it suits some very well without any loss of productivity
More lefty nonsense lol
@Paul M Doe: ok turnip face, put a sock in it.
So schools only open for 4 days??
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: No, the schools will still be 5 days, it’ll just lead to an out cry from the teachers. Won’t somebody please think about the teachers..
Ha ha ha ha ha ha, hilarious
Public servants do the bare minimum for the maximum pay. Why would any government agree to giving these spoilt, pampered brats more time to do even less work?.
Public sector employees aside healthcare and other essential workers are absolutely inefficient. They could absolutely work 4 day since their total of worked hours could fit in one day.
When PBP or associated leftie nutjobś endorse something it usually means it’ll go nowhere. Not like the public sector are flat out as it is….
These comments are a joke! I work in the public service. I more often than not work well beyond my paid hours. I don’t get paid for it and I wouldn’t take hours back cause I actually care about the how this might impact on the service being provided to members of the public. I don’t work from home and I’ve never taken a sick day even when I’m in bits. I often leave my phone on at weekends and taken calls cause I’d be worried about people who rely on our service. All of this cause I actually care about the public who need the service and I know my work impacts that. When you see the way members of the public then tar everyone in the public sector with the same brush, I honestly wonder why I bother.
I would totally agree with the proposal and it could be more than financed by getting rid of the numerous non workers in the public sector!
That’s so funny, the neck of these people.
A 4 day week for many public sector jobs would be somehow achieve that previously considered impossible. Do even less than they do now.
Unions greedily asking for way more than they deserve. What’s new pussycat? If the next government had any sense, they’d abolish public sector unions instead of getting into bed with them.
Public sector? Surprised it’s not 2 on 5 off full pay
If the ‘answering machine’ is turned off on Friday it will save a bit of electricity!
They can’t finish their jobs in a 5 day week, and now they want a 4 day week
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