FAQs – Civil Service. National Industrial Action 2026

In general, 'work to rule' industrial action involves a worker working strictly to the terms of their contract, role or function.

If you don’t have a contract or a description of your role or function, you should work to your usual role and duties and not carry out other additional duties that are outside of your contract.

Some union instructions may outline that a specific task should cease.

For example, many instructions will state that members should not cover the work of a vacant post during industrial action, even though that might be part of your normal working day.

If your job description or contract allows for ‘other tasks assigned by your manager’, you should stick to your normal duties and not take on any additional or new tasks during the industrial action. You can ask your local branch or official if you are unsure.

A work to rule also means working strictly to your scheduled working hours and not doing unscheduled or un-rostered overtime.

It also often means a withdrawal of goodwill. Some examples of this could be taking on some duties beyond your job description to ‘help out’ and generally being flexible on working hours or duties beyond your contract. How this works in practice will differ significantly from workplace to workplace. Contact your local branch or official to clarify any queries you have.

This document covers questions asked to date about the work to rule industrial action that starts on Wednesday 30th September 2026. A separate strike FAQ document will be issued in early October before the national strike day on Wednesday 14th October 2026. 

Yes. Emails are going to members regularly regarding information sessions. To date, over 12,000 members have attended 15 meetings. 

In short ‘work to rule’ means adhering strictly to the agreed terms and conditions of your employment. This means that you only do work that is appropriate to your grade. 

You should check the links below before the beginning of the industrial action on Wednesday 30th September, so that you know what tasks are appropriate for your grade. 

The work that you perform in your department can vary greatly to that of a union member of the same grade in a different department. Therefore, you should refer to what you have stated in your PMDS role description to confirm what is appropriate for your role. 

We advise all members to link in with their local branch or attend one of the information sessions if they still need clarifications about what they need to do. 

To help you check this information we have included the following for administrative grades. After you check the link for your grade, you should also check your PMDS role profile. 

• CO: Clerical-Officer-job-descriptions-May-2019.pdf 

• EO: Executive-Officer-job-descriptions-May-2019.pdf 

• HEO: Microsoft Word - Higher Executive Officer job descriptions February 2020 

• AO: Career Path in the Public Service | publicjobs.ie 

AOs and HEOs are not the same grade – we have been fighting for some time regarding some employer's belief that these grades are interchangeable. AOs should be only doing the work as per your job description above. 

For members in public facing roles (Intreo Centres, Revenue phone lines, etc) this work continues but is subject to the work to rule instruction. For clarity, you are not to perform additional duties or attend different offices to facilitate vacancies not filled by management. 

A vacant post is a role the employer has not filled. This can include a vacant post arising from short- or long-term sick leave, maternity leave, carers’ leave, parental leave, parents’ leave, shorter working year, protective leave, etc. You should not cover the work, duties or responsibilities of any vacancy during the industrial action. 

No. You should only be covering the work of a higher grade if you are in receipt of the Higher Duty Allowance. So, for example, a CO should not cover the work of an EO, nor should an EO cover for a HEO, and a HEO or AO should not cover the work of an AP either. 

You should not do this work, it should remain undone. 

If you are on probation and a union member, then you are protected by the Industrial Relations Act 1990. Therefore, a member on probation can, and should, take part in the industrial action. 

No. Vacancies cannot be covered while industrial action is ongoing. 

The Organisation of Working Time Act outlines what entitlements and obligations you have in relation to working hours. It still applies during the industrial action. All members are advised that they are entitled to regular breaks throughout the day. This needs to be strictly adhered to regardless of staff cover. You should take your breaks as they are scheduled and leave work at the end of your normal working day or shift. 

Yes, you can accrue flexi as usual, but you are not to perform voluntary or unscheduled overtime.

Regular and rostered overtime can continue, as this is normal work practice.

If you receive an allowance for overtime at unsociable hours, this can also continue.

Unscheduled, un-rostered, or ad hoc overtime is not allowed during the industrial action.

Irregular or voluntary overtime is either additional hours worked after a full day has been completed or at weekends, including working at off-site events e.g. Ideal Homes Exhibition. 

This is regular and rostered overtime, which is permitted during the work to rule as it is part of normal work practice. 

If you are not at work during the work-to-rule period, you cannot participate in the industrial action. This includes maternity leave, long-term sick leave, parental leave, parents’ leave, carers’ leave, a career break, or any other protected leave. 

As this is pre-approved annual leave you should maintain your leave and commence the work to rule when you return to work. 

If you receive an additional payment for working irregular hours which is outlined in your contract then you should continue to adhere to your contract, and the additional payment is unaffected. 

No. You should not take on this additional work during the industrial action. 

You should still attend. However, travel to and from the conference, clinic, audit, or site visit, should occur during your working hours, if it is not in your usual work base location. 

If you are on flexitime, you may start your journey at 8.00am provided you are able to accrue flexi time for working before 9.12am and you must start your journey home in time to get home by the end of the flexi bands at 7.00pm. Again, you must be able to accrue flexitime between 5.30pm and 7.00pm. 

This overtime is structured and has been occurring since July, therefore it is currently permitted during the industrial action. 

This may change if there is an escalation of the dispute. 

In general, during an industrial dispute, the union strike committee takes decisions designed to ensure that our dispute strategy maintains an advantage. While the EU Presidency is an important event the onus is on the employer to seek a derogation from the union strike committee if the consequence of any action is deemed to be critical. 

Your AP and PO are likely to be in the AHCPS (Association for Higher Civil and Public Servants) and it has also just voted in favour of industrial action, therefore they will likely also be taking industrial action. 

You may continue to attend, the work to rule does not affect your education and personal development. 

Section 2 of the General FAQ covers what a derogation is: FAQs - Public Sector Industrial Action 2026 - Forsa. The employer must request a derogation, which will be assessed by the National Executive Committee (NEC), and the NEC will determine whether a derogation should be granted or not. If your employer has requested a derogation and if it has been granted this will be communicated via Fórsa Head Office to your local Branch.

If this travel was prebooked in advance of the industrial action commencing then you can travel. The work you are undertaking abroad needs to be in line with the work to rule instruction (hours of work, work appropriate to the grade, not covering a vacancy, etc.)

If you are on a posting abroad you follow the work to rule as if you are working in Ireland. For the days of strike action (Wednesday 14 October 2026 and Wednesday 21 October 2026) this will be answered in the strike FAQ document in advance of the days of strike.

If this was a usual part of your day-to-day duties then continue with same. If this is part of your PMDS role profile also continue with same. If this is new work being requested of you then you should refuse. There is a union instruction not to engage with third party and external private management consultants for Fórsa members in the Local Government and Local Services division, the Health and Welfare division and the Municipal Employees’ division, sectors with significant use of external consultants. This will come under review as the work to rule escalates.

If you are in receipt of an allowance for additional duties including opening and closing of buildings, out of hours work, weekend work, etc. then you continue with same.

Send in your question to [email protected] 

Send in your question to [email protected] with the subject line ‘Who is my rep’ and stating your department and workplace location.