Fórsa has today (Monday) served notice that industrial action by members working at Oberstown Children Detention Campus will resume, with an escalation to a 72-hour work stoppage.
The stoppage is scheduled to take place from 00:01hrs on Monday 5th October until 00:01hrs on Thursday 8th October.
Industrial action had been paused following WRC talks in August. Fórsa said the decision to resume the action was taken because the agreement secured last month has not been honoured by Oberstown management or the Department of Children, Disability and Equality.
The union said Oberstown management and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, had not upheld a commitment made at the WRC, to submit their business case to the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation on or before the week of 22nd September.
Fórsa official Deirdre O’Connell said the failure to fully implement the WRC agreement, and a subsequent failure to engage with the union on the issue, has undermined its members confidence in the process, and leaves the issues at the heart of the dispute – including safe staffing levels and resourcing at the campus – unresolved.
She added: “The escalation to a 72-hour work stoppage reflects the seriousness of the situation and the absence of meaningful progress in resolving the dispute.
“This action is being resumed because commitments made at the WRC have not been fully honoured. Our members paused their industrial action in good faith to allow space for agreement, but that goodwill has not been reciprocated.
“The issues at Oberstown have not gone away. Staff continue to raise concerns about safe staffing and the ability to provide a safe environment for both young people and workers on the campus.
“We remain available for meaningful, solution-focused engagement with Oberstown management and all relevant departments to secure full implementation of the agreement reached last month,” she said.
In a memo to Oberstown management issued today, Fórsa national secretary Hazel Nolan said: “If there is a resolution to be found through any process, it lies in expediting the outstanding business cases and securing the necessary decisions before the industrial action is due to commence.”
Fórsa said it reserves the right to issue notice of further or continued escalation of industrial action if the matter remains unresolved.
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