W&lissue32

THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

ISSUE 32 • WINTER-SPRING 2016

THE NEW UNION PROJECT Read our special eight-page pull out section exploring a shared future for public service unions

ALSO INSIDE

THE ONE CORK PROJECT GENERAL ELECTION TIME FIVE REASONS TO BLOCK TTIP

IMPACT AND THE RISING. ENABLE IRELAND RETAIL. CAREER BURNOUT. WALES UNDER CANVAS. PLUS BOOKS, NEWS, PRIZES AND MORE.

www.impact.ie

In this issue

work &life Winter-Spring 2016 WORK

LIFE

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3.

10.

ONE VISION Unions in Cork are leading the way on a fresh approach to trade union activism.

PUBLIC SERVICE

4.

14.

16.

Enable Ireland’s charity retail outlets are a serious business.

12.

18.

19.

27.

YOUR CAREER Stress, fatigue and burnout.

What to watch for and what to do about it. #GE16 Questions for the political parties at election time.

28.

32.

34.

Work & Life is produced by IMPACT trade union's Communications Unit and edited by Niall Shanahan.

Front cover: The New Union Project.

Photo by dreamstime.com.

Contact IMPACT at: Nerney's Court, Dublin 1.

Phone: 01-817-1500.

Email: info@impact.ie

SPORT

IMPACT AND THE RISING First in a new series of 1916 Easter Rising profiles – Eamonn Ceannt.

IMPACT PEOPLE Denise McQuillan of IMPACT’s NETB branch.

Martin O’Neill prepares the ground for Euro 2016.

GARDENS Minding your Camellias this spring.

NEWS

40.

FASHION Be a savvy shopper.

IRISH WATER BALLOT APPROVED

40.

MUSIC Double jobbing disasters.

INCREMENT ‘ANOMOLY’ SOLUTION APPROVED

40.

FOOD Vegan ventures.

LANSDOWNE ROAD LEGISLATION ENACTED

41.

TRAVEL

FGE BRANCH SECURES NEW ESTABLISHMENT MODEL

41.

RENUA IRELAND OPPOSES PAY RESTORATION

THE NEW UNION PROJECT Read our special pull-out section which looks at a shared future for public service unions.

INTERNATIONAL Richy Carrothers gives five reasons to oppose TTIP.

44.

PRIZES

36.

46.

47.

Wales under canvas.

42.

PHOTO ALBUM Retired members’ seminar.

Designed by: N. O'Brien Design & Print Management Ltd. Phone: 01-864-1920 Email: nikiobrien@eircom.net

Win Joan Brady’s new book.

Win €50 in our prize quiz.

Rate Work & Life and win €100.

Work & Life magazine is a full participating member of the Press Council of Ireland and supports the Office of the Press Ombudsman. In addition to defending the freedom of the press, this scheme offers readers a quick, fair and free method of dealing with complaints that they may have in relation to articles that appear in our pages. To contact the Office of the Press Ombudsman go to www.pressombudsman.ie or www.presscouncil.ie

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Advertising sales: Niki O’Brien.

Phone: 01-864-1920.

Unless otherwise stated, the views contained in Work & LIfe do not necessarily reflect the policy of IMPACT trade union.

Work & Life is printed on environmentally friendly paper, certified by the European Eco Label. This magazine is 100% recyclable.

All suppliers to Work & Life recognise ICTU-affiliated trade unions.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

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Photo: Photocall Ireland.

The big picture

IMPACT members were out in force at the housing crisis rally which took place in December. The union continues to actively campaign to achieve practical solutions to the current homelessness crisis since launching the Roof is a Right campaign in 2014. Last year’s ICTU conference adopted an IMPACT motion seeking a range of measures to tackle the housing crisis, including the regulation of rents through an indexation system, similar to those in other European countries. IMPACT joined together with other trade unions, homeless agencies, community organisations and political groups as part of a National Housing and Homeless Coalition to take part in the rally, which called on the Government to take emergency measures to deal effectively with the national housing crisis.

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WINTER-SPRING 2016

IMPACT AND THE RISING

That was thenEamonn Ceannt

IN A new series to mark the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising, we look at the role played by four members of the various unions that form today’s IMPACT organisation. Eamonn Ceannt and Harry Nicholls were members RI WKH 'XEOLQ 0XQLFLSDO 2IÀFHUV¡ $VVRFLDWLRQ '02$ 6HiQ &RQQROO\ LV thought to have been a member of the United Corporation Workmen of 'XEOLQ 7UDGH 8QLRQ ODWHU WKH ,ULVK 0XQLFLSDO (PSOR\HHV 7UDGH 8QLRQ

and Con O’Donovan went on to become active in the Institution of Professional Civil 6HUYDQWV

1881 Born in September, Ballymoe, County Galway, to RIC constable James Kent and Joanne Galway.

1883

These stories have been drawn together in a new publication, written by IMPACT JHQHUDO VHFUHWDU\ 6+$< &2'< DQG ZLOO EH launched by IMPACT in January 2016.

James Kent is promoted and transfers to Ardee, County Louth. In 1892 James retires and the family moves to Dublin.

1899

In this edition, we look at the story of Eamonn Ceannt.

Ceannt joins the central branch of the Gaelic League, where he first meets Patrick Pearse and Eoin MacNeill.

1900 EAMONN CEANNT was born in 1881 in Galway before the family eventually settled in Dublin, attending the CBS Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connell School where he won a number of scholarships, and secured a clerkship in Dublin Corporation in 1900 following a competitive examination. He was a diligent employee, only missing work on one occasion in 17 years when he fell off his bicycle.

He was first elected to the Executive of the DMOA in December 1907, elected vicechairman in 1908 and then chairman from 1909. He resigned from the executive in July 1913.

He was a leading figure in the genesis of the 1916 Rising and was one of the most committed to revolutionary violence, serving on the Volunteerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s HQ staff with Pearse and Plunkett. As commandant of the 4th Dublin Battalion, Ceannt was in charge of operations at the South Dublin Union workhouse (now the St Jamesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital complex), a strategic access point to the city.

The battle for the South Dublin Union was brutal. Buildings were often occupied simultaneously by the Volunteers and the British military and the fighting was marked by sudden and bloody encounters with hand-to-hand fighting in stairwells and corridors.

Ceannt had great difficulty coming to terms with the surrender order. In his last statement he urged that in future there should be no treating with the enemy but a fight to the finish; â&#x20AC;&#x153;I see nothing gained but grave disaster caused by the surrender which has marked the end of the Irish Insurrection of 1916.â&#x20AC;? In one of his last notes to his wife Aine he suggested that, in her now desperate circumstances, she should apply to the DMOA for a grant. Ceannt, aged 33, was shot at dawn on 8th May 1916 along with Michael Mallin and SeĂĄn Heuston.

A proposal for a general fund for the relief of dependents in distress after the rebellion received no support from the DMOA Executive. Protests led from the floor at the December AGM by Thomas Gay, a librarian from Capel Street library, led to the establishment of a fund to assist Ceanntâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s widow and children. In Ceanntâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s memory, the head office of IMPACT is named as Ceannt House.

An accomplished uilleann piper, Ceannt founds the Cumann na bPĂ­obairĂ­ (The Pipers Club) and later performs for Pope Pius X on a visit to Rome in 1908.

Following excellent exam results, Ceannt secures employment with the Dublin Corporation until 1916 where he became active in the Dublin Municipal Officersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association (DMOA).

1905 Now an elected member of the governing body of the Gaelic League, Ceannt is teaching Irish language classes in branch offices of the League. He marries Aine this year also and their son Ronan is born the following year.

1916 Serves as commandant of the 4th Dublin Battalion at the South Dublin Union workhouse. Is identified as a leader of the rising after the surrender and executed 8th May 1916 O

In our next edition, we feature the story of SeĂĄn Connolly O WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

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IMPACT people

Branching out IMPACT member Denise McQuillan is a busy woman. In addition to her role with IMPACT’s National Education Training Board (NETB) branch, she’s also a dedicated volunteer with the Leinster Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (LSPCA), and also finds time to produce amazing decorative confectionery.

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How would you describe yourself?

I’m friendly, hardworking and conscientious.

Tell me about your job I’m a staff officer within the City of Dublin Education Training Board (CDETB) in the City of Dublin Youth Service Board (CDYSB). I’m with the corporate services area. The role is busy, varied and interesting.

I’m responsible for a renovation project in our work premises. The building is a marvelous Georgian house. The logistics are a nightmare in a working building. I lead out a team of administration staff who provide essential support service to other staff within the organisation. I also have X

There’s a lot of change happening in your workplace at the moment, what is it like for you and your colleagues?

Government policy has dictated the need for public service reform and this has brought about much change, not least as a result of the amalgamation of the former Vocational Education Committees (VECs) into a smaller number of Education Training Boards (ETBs). The change in the working environment affects everyone.

There is an increased emphasis on compliance, accountability and value for money. The ongoing change has been difficult for some but I find being part of this has been a really positive experience for me.

Tell me about your involvement in IMPACT I became involved in IMPACT when I first started work in the City of Dublin VEC. My family has always been associated with the trade union movement. Some years back I was elected to the local ETB in-house committee as secretary.

From there my interest in the trade union movement developed.

I later joined the national NETB executive branch committee as an ordinary member. Last year I was elected as regional representative.

“Gain more knowledge, build credibility and provide true value to people when you communicate”.

What’s the best thing about being involved in the union?

Solidarity, working together for better pay and conditions and the added individual supports that are provided. If an individual faces difficulty there is always someone to provide advice.

The NETB branch has established some good communications systems – what prompted the branch to do this? How’s it working out?

The NETB branch has come up with some fantastic communication tools to reach its membership within the education sector. Earlier on this year we did a two day training session aimed at improving the branches engagement with members and from that we devised a communications strategy.

We identified areas within the branch that needed attention, and worked to engage with members more frequently. We now send out an e-bulletin after each meeting and we’ve also implemented a text messaging system which we’re piloting with four ETBs. We’re planning to roll this out to all members in 2016. Our regional reps have also reignited

local committees to further enhance communications.

Our communications strategy is an agenda item at every meeting.

Tell us about your work with the Leinster Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (LSPCA)?

I became involved with LSPCA while looking for a dog with my husband some years ago. We were thinking about getting a rescue dog as we have a great love of animals. We initially made contact with LSPCA and expressed our interest so we met the dedicated volunteers there. We discovered that we could become a foster carer for a dog or cat. It’s just one of many ways we can help improve the lives of homeless pets.

We’re well aware that there are huge numbers of dogs and cats that are waiting every day for a loving home.

We’ve heard you’re into baking in a big way, please tell us more.

I got into baking some years ago purely to prove a point that I could actually bake! It was a challenge that my sister had set for me. What can I say, I got the bug and find that baking and cake decorating helps me to relax and unwind. It helps to release my creative side. Word has spread among friends and family and I find myself in demand. I bake and decorate wedding, birthday, christening and novelty cakes.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

I recall this being said to me some years ago. “The worst thing that you can do is waste someone else’s time. So gain more knowledge, build credibility and provide value to people when you communicate.”

If you could travel anywhere in the world tomorrow morning, where would you go?

I would love to travel back to Dubai with its incredible architecture. There are so many entertainment options suited to all tastes, cultures and budgets. It’s an amazing place.

If you could have a coffee with anyone (living or otherwise) who would you choose?

I would love to meet Malala Yousafzai (18 year old activist for female education from Pakistan and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate), she is such an inspiration to women all over the world for fighting for the right for education for women.

Who or what inspires you when the going gets tough?

I take my inspiration from my husband, followed closely by my family.

What advice would you give to your 18 year old self?

There are two pieces of advice, the first one is that some of your biggest regrets will be because you were afraid of reaching out or hesitated for too long. And the second one is don’t just let life happen to you. Take the reins, even if you have no idea where you’re leading yourself O

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

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Photo by Conor Healy.

a key role with health and safety, plus I manage CDYSB data management systems. It’s a busy job.

Trade unions

One voice, one vision, one movement Trade unions in Cork have been collaborating throughout 2015 to build a new initiative that could change the way trade unions operate throughout Ireland. The One Cork project has prompted excitement and a sense of determination among its constituent members. It launches in January 2016 and NIALL SHANAHAN visited a meeting of the project in recent months to find out more.

SIGNS OF renewed economic growth were in evidence all around Cork when I visited last November to find out about the One Cork project. The city was a hive of activity, shoppers were out in force, traffic was bustling, hotels were busy and lots of construction work was in evidence. There’s a long way to go for the Irish economy before the sense of recovery is more universal, but Cork showed all the signs of a city once again taking a forward leap.

Main photo: dreamstime.com

And in a meeting room in Connolly Hall, overlooking City Hall and the river Lee, a similarly vibrant atmosphere was growing as the trade union officials and activists involved in the One Cork project gathered for a meeting ahead of the project’s official launch in January this year.

One voice “Trade unionism is under attack from all sides. This is a unique opportunity for trade unions to come together, to share expertise Barry Murphy (OPATSI) and knowledge, to enhance the trade union movement and, more importantly, to enhance the terms and conditions of workers,” says Barry Murphy of OPATSI, the plasterers’ union, capturing the essence of what the project is about.

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WINTER-SPRING 2016

Fiona Dunne coordinates the project on behalf of ICTU. “The One Cork project arises from a real need for the trade union movement to be more visible and accessible to create a vibrant local movement, not only in workplaces but in communities. We developed the project in partnership with the Cork Council of Trade Unions (CCTU) who provide the local leaderFiona Dunne (ICTU) ship. The aim is to work collaboratively and develop new approaches to building trade union strength in Cork,” she explains.

IMPACT deputy general secretary and ICTU vice-president Kevin Callinan says the project is a pilot for a longer term Congress plan to develop the approach nationally. “The idea is to pool trade union resources in the interests of working people, their families and communities, and by doing so we can win more effectively for everyone. There is a really strong sense now of a shared purpose, a shared goal and a desire to work together to achieve it. That’s where the One Cork project draws its strength from,” he says. ‰

In the early stages, there was some scepticism that the unions could work effectively together. Wouldn’t it simply be the case that the larger unions would dominate the project?

“Initially, the questions from my OPATSI colleagues were about concerns that this type of project would be more beneficial to the larger unions like SIPTU and IMPACT, because obviously they have a bigger union base, more people at meetings,” says Barry Murphy. “But as I went through the process I think everybody got it and they’ve moved forward with gusto.

“I get as much respect here as an official of SIPTU, my voice will be heard too. It affords us a fabulous opportunity to bring things to the big table, let’s say, that otherwise maybe wouldn’t get there” he says.

Kevin Callinan (IMPACT, ICTU vice-president) and Colm Cronin (POA)

Getting to know you “The sense of collaboration since we started this project is extraordinary” says Colm Cronin, executive member on Congress for the trades councils, Cork Council of Trade Unions and a member of the Prison Officers Association (POA).

“There’s an agreement on how we go out to recruit and engage new members. We went out to meet students in CIT and UCC, and over 600 young kids expressed an interest in what was going on.

“Before we started there were union officials around the table, all working in the Cork region, who had never met each other before. Cork is a small enough city, so it’s remarkable that that could even happen. Even changing that dynamic was a very good start. But the level of participation by activists is the really important part. Most of the people around the table are activists” he says.

“That’s huge, that’s something that hasn’t been done before.

It’s also about bringing the trade union movement out to the people of Cork city and county, and representing them in all aspects of their life, not just their working life. Being a voice for workers and not leaving it to the usual suspects like the Chambers of Commerce or the business societies who claim that they know what’s best for people in the area. We know better than anybody what’s best for the people in our communities, because we are those people” he says.

“Before we started there were union officials around the table, all working in the Cork region, who had never met each other before. Cork is a small enough city, so it’s remarkable that that could even happen. Even changing that dynamic was a very good start.”

“The added value is that, instead of unions going out individually and organising, this is a collaboration of unions going out to different areas and speaking with members and nonmembers. Collaborating in the best way.” The evidence of how this works in practice can be found on the campus of Cork University Hospital (CUH).

Pilot Colm describes the One Cork project as a new approach to an old problem, a modern way of organising. “Bringing the trade union movement back to the grassroots. Union officials and activists engaging together, as one, with over 20 unions, which is something that hasn’t been done before.”

Fiona adds that One Cork aims to “Collectively organise workers into unions, and build their capacity to mobilise in the workplace. It was vital that we established a practical expression of that, and CUH proved to be the perfect working environment to do so.” continued on page8

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‰

Trade unions “CUH was the first employment where we sought to establish the project as it’s a large employment, with over 4,000 workers spread across a few different unions, including IMPACT, SIPTU, INMO, TEEU, and the IFUT,” explains IMPACT organiser Linda Kelly, who works on the CUH project and convenes One Cork youth and student working group.

Linda Kelly (IMPACT)

“We started by bringing all of the shop stewards and workplace reps together to a workplace meeting, with great food prepared by the unionised workers in the canteen, and it was a really special event.

“The reps and shop stewards took a leap of faith, they hadn’t encountered anything like this before, the room was packed.

We didn’t even have a name for it at the time, it was still called the pilot project. We asked them what they wanted to see from us and immediately they came up with some really good ideas. The other key thing they emphasised was the importance of good communication from the project.

“There is an excitement, a genuine energy around this project and its potential. No matter what we’re doing we’re always asking how can we do this differently while also remaining true to what has always made trade unionism strong, that collective strength.”

“Following on from that it emerged there was a strong desire for more information about pensions and pension schemes so we organised a seminar on that for CUH staff.

All of this activity builds trust. The member activists we’re talking to can see that this isn’t a one off, temporary thing, we’re building something and they can see it taking shape,” she says.

Linda explains that the recent pension seminar proved Sharon Cregan (SIPTU) popular with CUH workers.

“We had over 100 attending, the atmosphere in the room was phenomenal, and people were starting conversations with each other about which union they were in, and their union membership became more visible, and something they clearly took pride in. Trade union communication has become a face to face experience again, and that has been transformative.”

In practice, this means that the unions can work together as one when they are dealing with management at the hospital.

Colm adds that the unions have seen a significant increase in membership at CUH as a direct result.

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Sharon Cregan is the local coordinator for One Cork and works full time as an official with SIPTU. “The value of One Cork is that is reconnecting with the public and society overall. People tend to think of it from a workers point of view. We’re reconnecting Declan Fitzgerald (CWU) with the people of Cork, young people, students, retired people, workers and their families. I think it’s long overdue, we need to re-establish ourselves as a force to be reckoned with.

Connected “We’re a social movement, with an ethos to better the lives of workers their families and society overall. I think we’ve lost that footing over the years so I’m very encouraged and enthused by the launch of the One project because I think that, for the first time for a lot of us, it’s the first time that unions in Cork have sat down together and actually worked collectively and collaboratively, reaching out to each other and helping each other this way.

“In the early stages I think we were all looking at each other and asking ourselves where are we going with this, how is this going to work? It just seemed so huge. Then a light switch seemed to go on in everybody’s heads a number of months back, around a few practical ideas that people had, and I think, since then it’s escalated at a pace we didn’t anticipate a number of months ago. So I’m excited for the potential that’s there now for the entire trade union movement,” she says. ‰

“I grew up in a trade union environment, my father was a trade union activist for 27 years.

For me, it’s the best thing to have come out of Congress for many’s the year.”

in the area and they assumed the unions were already meeting all the time.

John Bowen (TSSA) and Frank O'Neill (TEEU)

As Colm explained, the various activists and officials didn’t know each other before One Cork. Sharon adds, “We probably knew all the names but hadn’t physically met one another. If we had met, it would have been on an industrial relations issue where a number of unions would’ve been involved, there would’ve been formality rather than friendship or a relationship to be honest.

“But now we’re conversing with each other more regularly, ideas are bouncing around with each other and I wouldn’t hesitate now to contact one of my colleagues in Mandate or IMPACT or IFUT, or wherever, if I had something in mind. Six months ago I might have been really slow to do so and we wouldn’t have known each other so that is a huge positive now.”

Strength Linda says that the most frequently asked question, at least in the initial stages, was why unions weren’t already collaborating like this, particularly with members in workplaces.

“Members assume that the unions work together, so when we say this project is a collaboration between twenty unions in Cork City and County, two things really strike them. The first is that they say they never realised there were twenty unions

Linda emphasises that, as the name suggests, people want one movement, “But people also really want one Cork, a shared approach to trade unionism in Cork, and a stronger, single voice in local media which is a central part of the campaign.”

Angela Flynn (IFUT)

Colm explains that One Cork has a number of media trained spokespersons so that, if an issue comes up, “We have six people available to the media to speak on the issue. If it’s a Cork issue, they will be able to speak to one of these.”

Linda adds “There is an excitement, a genuine energy around this project and its potential. No matter what we’re doing, whether it’s a small event in CUH or a big media launch in City Hall, we’re always asking how can we do this differently while also remaining true to what has always made trade unionism strong, that collective strength.”

Fiona says that Cork is just the beginning. “It’s been a remarkable journey so far. There’s huge potential and enthusiasm for this work because everyone sees the value, strength and rewards of working collaboratively. And that has been the point, to re-energise the movement together on a county by county basis. Cork is the beginning.”

Colm concludes,“I grew up in a trade union environment, my father was a trade union activist for 27 years. For me, it’s the best thing to have come out of Congress for many years.” l WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

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Public service

Retail therapy Liz Rooney is just one of the thousands of IMPACT members who work in the disability sector. MARTINA O’LEARY talks to her about Enable Ireland’s retail network which provides vital income to the organisation.

ENABLE IRELAND provide free services to children and adults with disabilities and their families from 40 locations in 14 counties. Covering childhood to adulthood, their expert teams work with the individuals and their families on a plan for each stage of their life.

Liz Rooney is a member of IMPACT’s Dublin Care Services branch and works as the shop manager at Enable Ireland’s retail shop in Bray, County Wicklow. There are 21 shops nationwide, raising vital income to support the valuable services Enable Ireland provides to more than 5,000 children and adults in Ireland each year. Liz has worked at the Bray store since 2000.

“I work with two part-time assistant managers, and we have a core of six to seven community employment (CE) workers.

We also have quite a large amount of volunteers that come in. Without the volunteers we would never be able to run a charity shop, they are vital to the organisation. Some of our volunteers have their own special needs. Some come from the national learning network. We help them train in the retail business and prepare them for full-time employment opportunities,” Liz explains.

Donations Liz’s job is to manage people, to manage the shop, to gain the full potential from people, and to make money for the organisation. “This money is vital, as we don’t get enough income from the state, so the revenue from the shops makes up the shortfall. This is where the public come in with their donations, they help us raise that money,” she says.

“The donations we get from people are vital to us. Any of the donations which are given into the shop are sorted and then put out on the shop floor, once they meet a certain standard.

On a day-to-day basis we could get a mountain of clothes, it varies.

“Each bag you open is different, you never know what’s going to be in it. On one occasion we received some really good jewellery, and made great money from it. We get quite a lot of good footwear. A few years ago we got some art nouveau posters going back to the 1920s, and did well from those too.

“Another time someone had collected diaries and cuttings from German newspapers towards the end of the Second World War, and put them all together in a portfolio. A customer’s husband was a WWII buff and she bought them for him. It was really interesting,” says Liz. 10

WINTER-SPRING 2016

“The way we sort our clothes is very important, we try and put the best stock possible on the shop floor. We have a system, anything not fit for the shop floor is sent back to head office, and they are sold to be recycled, so nothing goes to waste.

“The shop is run as a business, so we have standards and targets to meet.

It’s a long way from the old fashioned perception of how a charity shop is run; it’s not a bunch of grannies sitting in the back drinking tea! The revenue generated here is vital to providing services, so it has to function as a proper business,” explains Liz.

Services Enable Ireland focuses on the individual and not the disability. Their services include clinical assessment, therapy, education, training, residential, respite and family support services. The services cover all aspects of a child's physical, educational, and social development from early infancy through to adolescence. For adults they offer a range of services covering personal development, independent living, supported employment, social and leisure activities.

Liz says the job provides a lot of personal satisfaction. “I know I’m working and it’s going towards a good cause. I love the girls I work with, we have a great team and there is a great atmosphere. I enjoy the work. It’s tough. Every day is different.

I wouldn’t be here nearly 15 years if I didn’t!”

Enable Ireland’s Marino clinic, just up the road in Bray, provides services to children and teenagers who have multiple disabilities, as well as providing services to their families.

Assessment and intervention programmes are implemented by the interdisciplinary team which brings together expertise from the disciplines of psychology, physiotherapy, early education, childcare, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, social work, social care, medicine and nursing. ‰

Photo: Conor Healy Photography

“This is run like a business, we have standards and targets to meet. It’s a long way from the old fashioned perception of how a charity shop is run; it’s not a bunch of grannies sitting in the back drinking tea!”

Here’s how to help Liz Rooney is manager of Enable Ireland’s shop in Bray.

THE SAFEST and most secure way to get your donation to Enable Ireland to drop it into an Enable Ireland shop or any TK Maxx store nationwide.

Liz explains that being able to see the value of the clinical work is the reason she loves her own job. “Our clients have different levels of disability, everyone has their own needs, and this is what the money is being raised for. People need to be fitted for a wheelchair. We deal with all ages, from small toddlers to older people, the care is provided at every level of need. That’s why I love my work, I know the money we make here is being put to good use.”

Alternatively, you can organise a Bring Back Day in your workplace. Email bringbackday@enableireland.ie and tell them what date you would like your collection. They will send you everything you need, including bags, posters and information.

“When we have had a very good day on the floor, and we make quite a lot of money, you do feel good at the end of the day.

You know you’ve achieved the best you could that day or week, you know where the money is going. When you see the services Enable Ireland provides, you realise how lucky you are. When you see the help clients and their families need.

This is what this organisation is all about,” she says l

Other ways to support Enable Ireland

They are looking for good quality items especially ladies and men’s clothes, handbags, shoes and bric-a-brac.

Make a donation on enableireland.ie or Text ‘Enable’ to 50300 to donate €4. Most network providers transfer 100% of your donation to Enable Ireland. Some providers apply VAT which means that the donation value is €3.25.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

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Your career

Watch out for burnout Working hard and running on empty, it can lead to a bad case of burn out for some people. ISOBEL BUTLER looks at how we can identify, manage and move on from burnout. Slow down, relax and reevaluate… and remember to breathe.

BURNOUT IS a type of occupational stress characterised by physical and emotional exhaustion, a sense of disillusionment and detachment and feelings of low accomplishment or selfvalue. The term, first coined in 1974 by Herbert Freudenberger, describes the consequences of high levels of stress and exhaustion observed amongst highly driven professionals working in the ‘helping’ professions. Today it is recognised that anyone can experience burnout.

Risk factors Risk factors include long working hours at an intense pace or a heavy workload over an extended period. A lack of control over decisions affecting your work is also a contributing factor.

Other risks include feeling undervalued, a dysfunctional workplace or a mismatch between your own skills or values and those of the job or workplace.

Photo: dreamstime.com

Lifestyle, work habits and personality also play a role. For instance, perfectionism is a great self motivator but can tip into a feeling that nothing is ever quite right, and an inability to ‘let go’ of the work. Trying to be everything to everyone or solving everybody’s problems can drain you and risk you burning out. Similarly those who over-identify with their work may be less able to maintain a balance between the competing demands of work and personal life and are at greater risk of burnout.

Signs of physical and emotional exhaustion include fatigue and a persistent lack of energy, which can be accompanied by sleep problems such as interrupted sleep or problems falling asleep. Despite feeling exhausted, burnout can leave you feeling hyper alert and wired, which can be exacerbated by relying on sugar, caffeine or alcohol to boost energy or cope with excessive demands or long hours.

Over time appetite can be diminished and the immune system may become compromised leading to increased vulnerability to illness. Other emotional signs include a more pessimistic outlook, loss of enjoyment of work and life, and increased anxiety and worrying.

People caring for others in a professional or family capacity may become detached and find it increasingly difficult to empathise and may become more irritable or argumentative.

Angry outbursts or aggression can be a feature.

Managing or preventing burnout

Monitor yourself

There are various ways of managing and/or preventing burnout. If you feel exhausted and unwell the first thing you should do is visit your GP. You may need to take time off work to rest and recover. Try to get yourself back into a more balanced and less hectic routine that leaves time for rest, regular healthy meals, relaxation, exercise, family and work time.

Burnout doesn’t happen suddenly. It’s a slow insidious process that gradually creeps up and can be difficult to spot.

Knowing the signs and risk factors allows you to monitor, take stock, get help and take action before becoming unwell.

Learn how to relax – mindfulness, breathing exercises, yoga and tai-chai can all help. There is an increasing body of evidence that demonstrates mindfulness diminishes symptoms of stress and can help reduce burnout. Try and start ‰

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Top tips for dealing with Burnout 1. M onitoryourself 2. Seek help and support 3. Give yourselftim e outto restand recover 4. Practice m indfulness/m editation 5. W alk forhalfan hourevery day 6. Take allyourw orkplace breaks 7. Eathealthy food atregulartim esand don’t depend on caffeine,sugaroralcohol.

8. Talk to yourline m anagerto establish reasonable w ork practicesand boundaries.

9. D evelop resilience 10. Reevaluate yourprioritiesand plan to change.

mindfulness resources

your day with a few minutes of mindfulness or meditation.

During the day if you become aware of a sense of tension, stress or irritability, take a moment to refocus on your breathing and to help regain a sense of control over your emotions.

Regular physical exercise is an effective way to diminish the symptoms of stress as well as taking your mind off the workplace – a useful step if trying to regain perspective or balance. Thirty minutes brisk walking is a powerful stress reliever.

Get support Don’t suffer in silence. Talk about what’s happening with family or friends. Your GP might recommend counselling and your workplace colleagues can also be a source of support.

If your organisation has an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) or a wellness programme, avail of them, they may include counselling, resilience training and stress management.

If you are experiencing workplace problems; overwork, long hours, or unrealistic expectations, talk to your line manager to try and establish more realistic goals, objectives and workloads. Talking to colleagues and engaging in team problemsolving can be a useful source of support and help to reestablish realistic goals and priorities and resolve some of the workplace stressors.

• mindfulnessireland.org/ • padraigomorain.com/ • plumvillage.org/mindfulness-practice

Burnout is a clear sign something important is going wrong in your working life and provides an opportunity to take stock of your goals and priorities. Sometimes people recognise they need to dramatically change their lives by changing jobs or careers as part of recovering from burnout. However, this is not always possible so focus on resolving the source of the stress within the workplace. Speaking to your line manager and getting clarity about realistic roles and responsibilities or even seeking a new role or set of duties are options worth considering. Flexible working is another possibility that can help you regain balance.

Developing new habits It is important that you manage yourself and your thinking habits, you may need to change them. If your drive to perfection or tendency to overwork have contributed to the problem you need to address them. A counsellor can help you but start simply by taking stock.

Strive to establish new boundaries between your work and personal time. Promise yourself to leave work on time and arrange a social activity with family or friends to help you keep to this; it could be as simple as agreeing that you will be home to share a meal at a certain time and then working on managing your time and diary to ensure this happens.

Establish team ground rules around emails outside working hours. Practice switching off your phone and don’t access work messages or emails during personal or family time.

Perfectionists need to learn to establish realistic standards and focus on ‘good enough, being good enough’. Refocus on those aspects of the job you enjoy and examples of positive team working that arise. Strive to take a break from the workplace every day. Get outside for half an hour, it’ll enhance mood and shift perspective.

Seize any opportunities for humour and laughter, it boosts our sense of well-being and optimism and helps us gain perspective l

Isobel Butler is an independent organisational psychologist who works with people on a wide range of workplace issues including conflict management, dealing with change and solving problems. If there are specific issues you’d like her to tackle in these articles send them in via the editor, Work & Life magazine, Nerney’s Court, Dublin 1 or info@impact.ie.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

13

Green fingers

The charm Camellias are one of the most popular winter and spring-flowering shrubs, providing a vivid splash of colour when little else is in bloom.

They were cultivated in the gardens of China and Japan for centuries before they arrived in Europe. Our resident gardener ITA PATTON gives some advice on how to look after these understated blooms.

WHILE IN a friend’s garden last summer, I noticed a rather wan looking camellia sitting forlornly in a narrow, shady bed. My friend commented on how much she liked it and its cheerful, though too-few, pink flowers in spring. This was not a happy camellia. Instead of yellow tinged leaves it should have had dark green glossy ones and then in February/March the plant should have an abundant display of blooms.

In the wild Camellia japonica is widely distributed in southern China, Taiwan, Korea, and of course, Japan, where they play a very important cultural role. A very early Japanese reference to Camellias notes that “in the 12th age of Emperor Keiko’s era the Emperor annihilated an outlaw with a tsuchi (hammer) made of camellia wood”.

In ancient Japan there was a plentiful supply of camellia wood which was of more importance than camellia flowers. Later on, wild camellia plants were selected, dug up and cultivated by wealthy landowners and Buddhist monks. Their flowers are still used in many ceremonies, e.g. The Tea Ceremony. In fact the beverage tea is derived from Chinese and north Indian varieties of camellia, Camellia sinensis var sinensis and Camellia sinensis var assamica. This plant can reach 16 meters high, but in cultivation they are pruned to knee height for ease of picking the young foliage.

Europe Captain Connor, a Commander of an East India Company ship brought the first named camellia cultivars to Britain in 1792, Camellia ‘Alba Plena’, with double white flowers and C ‘Variegata’ with variegated foliage. Soon afterwards many more cultivars were being grown in Europe and North America.

Camellia japonica cultivars give the gardener a fantastic range of flower colour, form and size. Some are quite vigorous growers, while others produce a more compact plant, so always check the eventual height and spread before purchasing. X

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of camellias Camellias are woodland plants and therefore prefer a semi shaded site in a free draining soil with a pH of 7 or lower. The acidity of soil is measured on the pH (potenz Hydrogen) scale from 0 to 14, 7 being neutral and the numbers below that indicating acidity. If you’re not sure of the pH of your garden soil you can purchase a simple multi-pack pH test kit for less than €15.

Those of us who garden with a more alkaline soil can grow camellias in containers in an ericaceous compost. This works perfectly well as long as the plant has plenty of root space and plenty of water during the growing season, particularly while the flower buds are swelling from midsummer to October. If allowed to dry out during this crucial time the flower buds will turn brown and drop off. The peat based ericaceous composts that are popular in Ireland can be difficult to rewet when they dry out, so be sure to check its moisture content, and don’t rely on rainwater.

Feeding

As with all plants, the healthier they are, the better prepared they are to withstand pests and diseases. A very common problem with camellias is the ugly looking sooty mould. This is caused by various sap feeding insects, such as greenfly, feeding on the plant and then excreting a honeydew, which is in turn fed on by the black soot-like fungus. There is no direct control for sooty mould, so it’s best to deal with the insects themselves. Though very unattractive, it does not have too serious effect on the overall health of the plant. Cleaning the leaves will help by increasing the amount of air and light reaching the foliage.

So, if like my friend, you have a camellia which looks a little under the weather, you could be rewarded with a happy glossy leaved flower-heavy shrub by just doing a few simple garden chores such as feeding, freshening the compost, and careful watering. Enjoy O

Ita Patton is a craft gardener in the National Botanic Gardens O

Gardening jobs this season IF YOU want to have beautiful blossoms in spring now is the time to do the ground work.

N N N N N N Make sure all pots and seed trays are clean and ready for sowing.

N N N N N N Check staked trees to ensure that their ties are not over-tight, plants can be permanently damaged or even killed by incorrectly fixed ties.

N N N N N N Mowers should all be checked and sent for servicing if necessary.

Photos by dreamstime.com

Composts degrade over time, having an adverse effect, resulting in the camellia’s leaves turning yellow between the veins (interveinal chlorosis). Symptoms are typically worse on the younger leaves. These symptoms can be easily dealt with by feeding the plant with a fertiliser especially formulated for use on lime hating plants. It is also advisable to repot camellias every 2/3 years with fresh compost.

N N N N N N Order seeds and summer flowering bulbs from mail order suppliers O

Camelia Variegata.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

15

Looking good

Trend Casting a cold eye on the styles on their way in spring 2016, PATRICIA O’MAHONY spots the fashion fads of the year ahead, reminding us that the difference between the coming season’s winners and losers is functionality.

TRENDS COME and go… and then come back again. Some endure, some fade away and some will only ever be remembered as candidates for the “what was I thinking?” section of the family photo album.

Some styles you may have invested in a few seasons ago are still appearing on the catwalks from Milan to New York, while others barely lasted the season, mainly for reasons of impracticality or lack of visual appeal. A key ingredient, if a trend is to last, has to be functionality.

Instead of being a slave to trends, the savvy shopper keeps one eye on them and another eye on which ones suit their lifestyle and body shape. If we had eyes in the back of our heads, we’d check in our wardrobe first. Because there’s a good chance that we already own a version of it. Trends are only that – something that comes and goes. We can draw inspiration from them but it’s important to put your own stamp on it, to make it your own. It will save you a lot of money, time and hassle.

Ponchos, capes and wraps are a case in point. They’ve been growing in popularity since they re-appeared on catwalks a good few seasons ago, and you can see why. They’re versatile, they cover a multitude and they look equally good on a night out, worn with heels, or a day’s shopping, worn casually with boots and jeans. They come in many guises and are the very essence of smart casual.

As a very special treat you could invest in the suede Hobbs (seen here) or if you don’t want to make that level of commitment theres a selection on the high street. Check first before you buy. Chances are you already have something every bit as nice at home.

Balance out the wide shape of the cape by wearing something straight on the bottom half. That brings us onto the next trend that’s been around a while.

Culottes Culottes feature again for spring/summer 2016. There are numerous variations to the original theme. Culottes got a bit of bad press many years ago, and truthfully, they are not the easiest thing to wear, unless you are blessed with long legs. New York stylist Connie Wang advises that the secret to finding a pair of culottes that actually works for you is all in the length; “The most flattering pairs end at the skinniest part of your leg – for most women, that's right above your ankle. Once you've got a pair that hits there, your culottes will look correct, no matter if you're wearing heels or flats.” ‰ 16

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toppers Choose from the many lengths and styles around to best suit your shape and height. Great if you like your ankles, and have nice footwear that you want to show off. Again, convert from smart casual to occasion by simply switching footwear. Speaking of footwear, heels help when it comes to culottes. Cut out toes are around again, so don’t throw out last year’s just yet. Flats, in the form of brogues and loafers, are still holding their own or a block heel, which is the most comfortable of them all.

Ruffles If Victorian styles are your tendency, you will be pleased to see high necks, ruffles and bows around again. This style works particularly well with culottes or a long pleated skirt, which is another trend that’s lasting, even though it’s been around a while. A word of caution with this style, go easy on the ruffles and avoid too much fuss and resemblance to the school marm.

Instead of being a slave to trends, the savvy shopper keeps one eye on them and another eye on which ones suit their lifestyle and body shape.

Suede, too, is having a revival. If you’re fortunate enough to own something in this natural fabric, now’s the time to flaunt it. If you’re investing, it’s safe to say it’s a long term investment. Long coats, with side splits, or capes will set you back a cool €1,000 in Hobbs of London, but the old saying “you get what you pay for” applies (Does this mean the recession is over? – Ed.) Exposed shoulders are in, season after season, just with a different exposure each time. Again, it’s a trend worth tapping into if you haven’t already, because it’s flattering to every body shape. For spring/summer 2016 off-the-shoulder designs and shoulder cutouts are the preferred style.

Colours New colours emerge every season. How else would fashion powerhouses make their huge profits? According to New York’s Fashion Week Pantone Fashion Colour Report “colours this season transcend cultural and gender norms. Vivid brights give way to excitement and optimism, though quiet stability prevails in this seasons palette.”

The top ten spring 2016 colours consist of six brand new hues. The colours are for both men and women and feature rose quartz, peach echo (a softer version of the recent oranges), serenity blue, snorkel blue (more striking than navy), buttercup, limpet shell (aqua), lilac grey, fiesta (a yellow based red), green flash and iced coffee, which is a strong neutral that will work well with the other colours.

Hobbs of London is located in Dundrum Town Centre Shopping Centre and Kildare Village Outlet Centre l

All items available from Hobbs of London, Dundrum Town Centre Shopping Centre and Kildare Village Outlet Centre.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

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#GE16

ELECTION TIMEâ&#x20AC;¦TAKE A SEAT Questions for Questions f the parties p as the a 2016 20 016 cam campaigns paigns i ccommen commence nce

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VOA.ie Veterinary Officers Association of Ireland

THE ‘NEW UNION PROJECT’...

A SAFE HARBOUR IN CHALLENGING TIMES?

8 PAGE

PULLOUT

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New Union Project

What is the ‘New Union Project’?

The New Union project is a proposal to combine the strength of almost 90,000 members in five unions representing members in the public service as well as the commercial sector and state agencies, to better defend your interests at a time when union membership is falling and collective bargaining is under attack. The proposal to form a new, single, union from five existing unions will be put to the members of all five in ballots, when talks about details have been completed.

CPSU The Civil Public & Services Union (CPSU) represents almost 12,000 members mainly in the Civil Service and a small number of Agencies and Semi-State and Private Sector Companies such as An Post and Eir. The core membership grade is the Clerical Officer but the union also represents the Staff Officer grade and a range of Departmental Grades such as Science and Arts Attendants in the museums and cultural institutions. The Union has a long and successful record of taking Equal Pay cases through the Irish Courts and in Europe. It seeks to protect and improve the pay and conditions of its members alongside the other unions involved in the New Union Project through the Civil Service General Council and ICTU Public Sector Committee.

A New Union offers the potential to harness the numerical and intellectual strength of the members, activists, officials and leaders of AHCPS, CPSU, IMPACT, PSEU, and VOA into one, single, union for the entire Civil Service, for some State bodies and as part of a broader Public Service organisation.

We must determine if it is possible to overcome existing divisions and barriers, to create strength through unity, in order to face the huge challenges coming down the tracks.

These include public service pay and pension reviews and post Lansdowne Road talks. If re-

cent years have shown anything conclusively, it is that the existing fragmented nature of union organisation in the Public Service proved to be incapable of preventing attacks on pay and conditions.

It is recognised that there are fears that the project will generate loss of identity. However, a new single union would be a forceful entity at a time of uncertainty, change and diminishing trade union density. Sharing resources would allow us to face sophisticated and well resourced opponents with confidence.

Of course, doing nothing and leaving existing structures intact is an option and many members retain loyalty to their own organisations.

That is understandable. However, given that existing structures proved not to be up to the challenges of recent years, it is incumbent on the leaderships of the five unions to explore alternatives to establish if something better can be created.

Optimism about the future requires that we harness the strength of members through unity and cohesion rather than to continue with fragmentation and inter-union disagreements.

A single union offers that potential. That is why the option is being explored.

Why come together?

There are many reasons for doing nothing, for leaving well enough alone. Fears are genuinely held, such as the fear of loss of identity, loss of influence or even concern about a ‘takeover’. But ask yourself, if we were starting out today, would we create the 19 different ‘independent republics’ that make up the public services committee of ICTU? Faced with the challenge presented by public service management, a single united organisation on our side would make for a more equal contest at a time that is still fraught with uncertainty.

Consider this: the UK has 46 unions for a

AHCPS SINCE 1943, the AHCPS has provided effective negotiation, representation and back-up services to senior civil servants and managers in the commercial and noncommercial State sector in Ireland. Our members are key policy influencers and public service providers who have made a major contribution to Irish life and administrative, economic and social development since the foundation of the State.

population of 60 million, while Ireland also has 46 unions for a mere 6 million, North and South. Moreover, trade union density, down below 20% in the private sector, has noticeably started to slip back from the average highs of 80% that pertained in the public sector for decades.

Four of the five unions in this project are, themselves, the result of various mergers. Indeed, the largest union in the country, SIPTU, is the result of a merger of two large unions in 1990.

Of more direct relevance is NIPSA in Northern Ireland, which is comparable in its membership to what is proposed in this project.

Similarly, in the UK, the union structure that was inherited in Ireland, and is still reflected in our current structures, has been transformed by the creation of large, merged unions such as PCS and Unison.

Of even more interest, perhaps, is the influence and strength of VerDi in Germany which, as a large union speaking for Public Servants, is a major force in that society.

That is what this project is aiming to achieve for our Public Servants.

The recent crisis has inevitably taken its toll on rock solid levels of membership. While the recruitment embargo has ended, there is no sign that overall numbers will jump dramatically. No matter how hard we try, the truth is that give or take a few thousand here and

there, there will always be a finite number of public servants. This means we won’t be able to boost recruitment in each of our individual unions by the sort of numbers we are going to need.

The New Union would have both a national and regional presence, greater financial resources, would share and pool information and enhance available legal resources. The combination would give us a strong united voice, while retaining the identity of historic categories and groups that value rightly their status in the different unions today.

What are the benefits of unity?

All grades across the five unions would be in one single union with the shared knowledge base and expertise that would mean. There would need to be some changes in union structures in the civil service and state agencies. The existing branch model and divisions in health, local government, education and municipal, within IMPACT currently, would be retained.

Remember, no one sector could have a majority or a dominant voice in the New Union; this simply won’t be possible under the rules of the plan that is under consideration.

A single voice where necessary, but a union that understands and respects the identities that make up the whole.

Better, more focused communications do not mean drowning out ‘local’ voices or proud branches and divisions. In fact, the structures being considered would help to get these voices a hearing both in the media and across the negotiating table. A central, professional, expert-led, communications channel of information up and down the new organisation, which connects with the membership and reflects its concerns at the centre, is needed in Continued overleaf

New Union Project today’s challenging communications environment.

The combined financial resources of five unions would be one of the very obvious benefits of unity. Such financial muscle is not to be sneezed at, in terms of the fighting fund that would be available for possible industrial and legal challenges, and to help ensure that members get the best deal on larger scale benefit schemes.

Size does matter when it comes to financial strength. Deeper pockets, with the finances managed prudently, wouldn’t go unnoticed on the other side of the bargaining table. A new combined union won’t be a pushover for anyone.

Are there downsides?

Are there alternatives?

There is no doubt that it can be argued that an available alternative would be a closer alliance of existing unions, short of the creation of a new, single, union. This would allow existing unions to retain identity. However, the very fact of separate identities and different sources of decision-making act as a barrier to greater unity. The fragmentation of unions in the Public Service is not only due to the number of unions, but to the fact that each union acts independently.

There is, in fact, a high degree of federation in the existing Staff Panel structures and they operate well in terms of co-operation on a range of business. Nonetheless, the Staff Panel structure was incapable of forging any degree of unity in response to the attacks on public servants’ conditions in recent years and there is no reason to believe that this will change in the future as we face new challenges.

IMPACT IMPACT represents close to 60,000 members working in hundreds of public service occupations, grades and professions in health, local government, education, the civil service, and voluntary and community organisations. IMPACT also represent members in commercial and non-commercial semi-state organisations and in private companies in aviation and telecommunications.

The profile of IMPACT membership is professional, technical and support staff in the civil service, administrative, professional, technical and manual grades in local government, administrative, therapist, professional, technical and care staff in health, administrative and schools based staff in education.

IMPACT represents pilots and cabin crew in aviation.

Equally, some may argue that not all of the unions in this project have enough in common to enable the creation of a new, single, union capable of acting with cohesion, while being truly representative of all interests. Those of this view argue that a project involving some, but not all, of the unions concerned would work more effectively. Leaving aside the fact that there is unlikely to be agreement about which unions make up this ‘optimal’ number, this option might have the effect of reducing the number of unions but, in return for a loss of identity, it cannot offer the advantages of a single Civil Service union, which this project presents, along with the advantages of a single union for administrative Public Servants with common or similar terms and conditions.

However, if a union or unions drop out of this process, the other unions may proceed, leaving open the opportunity for unions to opt back in.

It is also worth observing that, given the differences between the various unions, anything short of a project that does not involve all unions in the Civil Service within a broader Public Service organisation stands little chance of being agreed.

Protecting the ethos that exists within our respective unions, reassuring those who may fear losing status and allaying the fears of staff members, is vital. That is why the project will include proposals for an independent Ombudsman to address complaints by individuals or groups.

Fear is understandable, but when such local concerns are set side-by-side with the huge challenges we face today, we must face reality or - to put it plainly and bluntly – face being run over by powerful forces. These forces have gathered strength over the past decade.

clination to embrace an incremental approach. That is not likely to be an adequate response. Something bolder is called for.”

Members don’t have to go back very far to recall the siren voices that blamed public servants for the crisis. These critics demanded nothing less than our emasculation. They haven’t gone very far, and when they return – as they surely will – we must beat them back with a united front, one with almost 90,000 members backed by staunch activists, officials and leaders that can and will face down the enemies of trade unionism and those who attack the very notion of public service.

Continued overleaf

A call to action...

Before turning to the ‘nuts and bolts’ of these proposals, it is worth remembering that this proposed ‘coming together’ of trade unions was strongly recommended by the ICTU’s Report of the Commission on the Irish Trade Union Movement in 2013. The Commission’s report was strongly backed by affiliated unions in Belfast that same year.

Essentially, the report suggests that the ‘writing is on the wall’ if things are left unchanged; but it foresees a brighter future if we act now. The report states: “Ireland is not a significant player in Europe but we have to make our own bit of history in our own time. We must build a strong, vibrant and effective trade union movement to articulate and progress the rights of workers at a time when these rights are being oppressed to a degree unprecedented in modern times. Because this is beyond the lived experience of this generation of leaders there is a natural in-

PSEU The Public Service Executive Union, (PSEU), represents staff in all Government Departments and some commercial and non-commercial State agencies. The union represents staff mainly in the executive, junior and middle management grades in these organisations.

The union has more than 40 branches for the c.10,000 members. Grades represented include; Executive Officer; Higher Executive Officer; Administrative Officer; Third Secretary, (Dept. of Foreign Affairs); Junior and Senior Clerk in the Houses of the Oireachtas. The non-Civil Service bodies in which the union has members include, Eir; An Post; National Lottery Ireland; IMMA; Sports Council; Food Safety Authority; Irish Aviation Authority; Commrs. of Irish Lights; Health and Safety Authority; Injuries Board; National Concert Hall; Obair; Food Safety Promotion Board and Ordnance Survey.

New Union Project be reviewed over time.

A temporary arrangement would allow for ten civil servants on the NEC – elected by the Divisional Executive. These and divisional arrangements would be scaled back on a pro rata basis in the event of any of the unions participating in these talks deciding not to proceed at this time. All of these ‘ordinary’ NEC members would also sit on their respective Divisional Executives. The position of immediate past president and question of time limits would be a policy matter to be determined by the New Union.

Civil Service

Proposed structures It is envisaged that the New Union conference would have a ceiling of 750 delegates, with delegations based on an agreed percentage of union membership in each branch.

Branches could opt to send a lesser number without diminishing their voting strength at conference. There would be a guarantee that each branch would have at least one delegate, and where this might happen there would also be facility for an observer to attend with that Branch delegate.

National Executive Committee It is proposed that the overall size of the NEC should be no more than 27 or 28 seats, with one union president and four vice-presidents (or other officers). There would be provisions to ensure that these represented all five sectors. It is suggested that there be six seats for the Civil Service Division and six for the Health Division, four for the Local Government/Municipal Divisions, three for the Education Division and three for the State Agencies/Private Services Division. This could

All current branches would be retained at the outset, while there would be a facility to encourage relevant mergers. A difficulty does arise regarding the number of Civil Service Branches from existing unions. How to structure a manageable Divisional Conference and Executive would be a challenge. It is envisaged there would be around 400 delegates to such a conference, using the existing Civil Service Staff Panel arrangements as the model.

Branches from the former unions would attend conference based on their proportion of membership in each government department.

There would need to be an exception for multi-departmental branches and any branches not accommodated via staff panel route, and a facility to delegate issues to subgroups with officers.

Civil Service Executive Conference would elect executive members from the following constituencies – former AHCPS, former CPSU, former IMPACT, former PSEU, former VOA. Over time an open constituency would be created, with the intention that this would become the norm over time.

At the first divisional conference, there would be guaranteed seats for each of the constituencies. At second and third divisional conferences, these numbers would incrementally change to allow for the development of an open constituency.

The chair and vice chair will be elected by full divisional conference, but no more than

one from any constituency. These arrangements would be for a period of six years (three biennial conferences), but reviewed before year four (2nd conference).

Services and Agencies AHCPS, CPSU, IMPACT and PSEU have members in state agencies and enterprises.

These unions, generally, have separate existing branches in each of these bodies. IMPACT has an additional ‘State Enterprises No. 1’ Branch, which is a catch-all for a number of smaller employments.

It is intended that all existing branches be left intact in a new organisation, with a provision that in dealing with an individual employer, where there is more than one branch, issues would have to be fed through the ‘staff panel within the same organisation’.

As the overall membership and number of

VOA The VOA represents veterinary practitioners registered with the Veterinary Council of Ireland who are employees of a Department of State, including those on approved career breaks or secondment. For over 60 years the VOA has provided effective negotiation, representation and back-up services to the veterinary practitioners employed in the State Veterinary Service.

The VOA aims to protect and promote the interests of members, to maintain and improve the conditions of their employment, and to provide and maintain such services for the benefit of members as may be approved from time to time.

branches in this sector is much smaller than in the Civil Service, all existing branches could be directly represented at a Divisional Conference.To ensure representation from all former unions, there would be 18 DEC seats for 6 years.

Equivalent Grade Committees There would be equivalent Grade Committee for Clerical Grades; for Executive Grades (4 to 7); for AP/PO Grades (8 and 9); and a committee for Veterinary grades. It is intended that they all meet in seminars during the first year of the New Union. The Grade Committees will ensure greater coordination and consultation for members with similar pay and conditions issues across the Divisions of the New Union. It is envisaged these Grade Committees will play a core role in advising the New Union on pay related matters, in particular assisting in the development of pay negotiating strategies, which reflect the pressure and demands on all members within the organisation relative to their grade.

Other issues, subscriptions Issues that must be carefully managed include existing offices and assets.

Service delivery standards have to be maintained where they are satisfactory – and improved where they are not.

The New Union will have a service level contract between Head Office and members. This will give guarantees of service. Individual members who are unhappy with levels of service will have access to an independent Ombudsman.

Likewise, it is also recognised that groups of members have to be given access to an independent Ombudsman, if they feel that their particular interests/identity are not recognised adequately within a new organisation.

IT systems, legal services, membership benefit schemes – including new scheme and union subscriptions – will require detailed planning and discussion to secure maximum value for the New Union.

Continued overleaf

New Union Project Staffing concerns and issues arising will have to be managed in line with the standards we expect of the best employers.

The Standing Orders Committee must come from all backgrounds.

On the very important issue of subscriptions, there will need to be agreement on minimum and maximum rates. The existing union rates can act as a guide. In some cases rates are already closely aligned. After making provision for that element of the CPSU subscription that funds the dental and optical benefit scheme, effectively CPSU and IMPACT members pay the same, as do PSEU members on the maximum of the HEO. The guiding principle will be to ensure that nobody has an increase in existing subscriptions.

A democratic decision made by members A final decision on participation in this project will be taken by the members of each of the 5 participating unions. It is recognised that not all may choose to participate. That would be unfortunate but the value of this project is such that all unions are agreeable to

keep open the possibility of any union that opts out of the process being permitted to re enter at a later stage. If necessary, the representative structures being proposed can be adjusted â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;pro rataâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, if one or more unions drop out of the project, with the proviso that they will be re adjusted to facilitate the return of any unions in this situation, should they decide to re join the project subsequently. Decisions to join, leave or re join are matters for the members of each union to make.

So what happens next?

Agreed communications like this one are planned in the lead up to any final discussions or decisions on this important project.

The general secretaries and finance officials will meet to discuss issues like subscriptions and benefits. There will be further meetings involving senior elected representatives of all the unions, such as the various Presidents, Vice-Presidents, Chairpersons and Executive Committees. A paper will be prepared for union conferences in 2016, where a report and debate will be held to discuss progress on the project.

Remember, you the members, will have the final say in a democratic ballot.

International

TTIP – five good reasons to fight it The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is currently subject to secretive negotiations between the EU and US, and is designed to reduce the regulatory barriers to trade,with a promise of more jobs and economic activity as a result. However, as IMPACT assistant general secretary RICHY CARROTHERS discovers, there are a number of very good reasons to oppose the deal.

Richy Carrothers

TTIP IS bad for the citizens of Ireland and Europe and is designed only to benefit big corporations and global capitalism. I recently watched a House of Commons enquiry in the British Parliament into to TTIP. Advocating for TTIP was a representative of the Confederation of British Industry, who spoke glibly about the financial gain for corporations. This underpinned for me that TTIP is about money and global corporations.

The effect on people and on workers, doesn’t feature in the debate in any meaningful way. TTIP strikes at the very heart of democracy, and I believe it’s a Trojan Horse to fundamentally liberalise public services.

I think there are five good reasons why TTIP should be opposed.

Food and environmental safety TTIP’s ‘regulatory convergence’ agenda will seek to bring EU standards on food safety and the environment closer to those of the US, where regulations are much less strict. Seventy per cent of all processed foods sold in US supermarkets now contain genetically modified ingredients. The EU allows virtually no GM foods.

The US also has far laxer restrictions on the use of pesticides and uses growth hormones in its beef which are restricted in Europe. US farmers have tried to have these restrictions lifted repeatedly in the past through the World Trade Organisation and it is likely that they will use TTIP to do so again.

The same goes for the environment, where the EU’s regulations are far tougher on potentially toxic substances. In Europe a company has to prove a substance is safe before it can be used; in the US the opposite is true: any substance can be used until it is proven unsafe. As an example, the EU currently bans 1,200 substances from use in cosmetics. In the US that figure is just 12.

As an island, Ireland is an export led economy, particularly in the agri sector. In simple terms, 90% of our beef is exported as is 85% of our dairy produce. Owing to the unregulated environment across the Atlantic, US producers do not have the same production costs. It poses a real threat to our farming sector and it is predicted that Ireland’s beef sector could contract by between €25 and €45 million, spelling a

disaster for the 100,000 Irish family farms reliant on the beef sector.

Banking TTIP is a two way street. US banking regulations are much tougher than ours and were put into place following the collapse to curb powers to avoid similar reoccurrences. The last thing Ireland needs is the loosening of banking regulation.

There are legitimate concerns that TTIP will remove restrictions, effectively handing back powers to bankers.

Privacy The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which required internet service providers to monitor people’s online activity, was thrown out by a massive majority in the European Parliament in 2012 after public concerns about privacy. TTIP has the potential to introduce similar requirements which would bypass the democratic process.

Public services Key to the liberalisation agenda of TTIP is the prising open of public services, leading to international competition and deregulation. Leaked documentation from the EU to the USA in June 2014 confirmed that medical, health services, social services, education, energy, water, environmental, post, finance, telecommunications, transport and cultural services were all up for grabs under TTIP. This is a manifesto for global corporations to use public services for profiteering. Should TTIP be realised, we could see the Walmart General Hospital of Letterkenny, The McDonalds Letterkenny Institute of Technology, maybe even the Google Donegal County Council? There should be no trade in services. Public services should be run by EU member states in the interests of citizens and the public interest and not for stuffing the pockets of corporations.

Democracy Undoubtedly the lack of democracy is the biggest threat posed by TTIP and this should worry us all. Decisions affecting people lives moves from the ballot box to the boardroom, neutralising the authority of public representatives.

One of the main aims of TTIP is the introduction of InvestorState Dispute Settlements (ISDS), which allows companies to sue governments if those governments’ policies cause a loss of profits. This means unelected transnational corporations can dictate the policies of democratically elected governments.

Our own Government could be sued millions of euro for laws that might be seen to reduce corporate profits, even if they were about protecting the environment, safety standards, workers’ rights or our health service. TTIP will effectively hold democratic governments to ransom when they try to look after citizens in the public interest.

The stakes are high for people and for the planet, while the secrecy surrounding the negotiations further serves to raise questions about who ultimately benefits from TTIP. The negotiations and documentation must be released for public scrutiny and decision making.

How can any democratic country accept their government secretly agreeing to laws that so fundamentally shift power and wealth, bind future governments and restrict their nation’s ability to provide for citizens? l WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

27

Play it loud

Stick to the day job In this edition, our music correspondent gets riled by those who equate a spot of television exposure with a career opportunity in the music charts. Having overdone it on Morecambe and Wise Christmas specials on Dave he’s gunning for anyone who has notions about multi-tasking.

Meanwhile, we’re hoping he still hasn’t discovered X Factor, as the inevitable rage would be David Soul catastrophic.

DURING THE recent Christmas extravaganza of stuffed nonsense on TV, I couldn’t help but yearn for my childhood when the entertainment on offer was good and proper. On deeper recall however it dawned on me that the ‘fun for all the family’ generated on the small screen back then largely consisted of variety shows whereby actors, and the like, demonstrated their wonderful ability to turn their hand to a song or two.

This deeper recall made it happen. I came, I saw, I got annoyed. The cross pollination of the fine but separate arts of acting and pop stardom always got under my skin. Granted there are notable exceptions but we’ll ignore them.

Unitarian minister and popular essayist Samuel Mc Chord Crothers once remarked “try as hard as we may for perfection the net result of our labours is an amazing variety of imperfectness. We are surprised at our own versatility in being able to fail in so many different ways.”

Using my beloved Arsenal as a yardstick (not usually a wholesome pastime) I think back on some of the world’s great 28

WINTER-SPRING 2016

talents that wore the cannon on their chests; Bergkamp, Henry, Pires, Brady. All of whom were supremely gifted specialists in their own art on a football field.

The Arsenal also had Emmanuel Eboue, who has been described among many things as a ‘utility player’ which roughly translates as ‘he was crap in a number of positions’ hence the terrace chant “don’t blame it on the sunshine, don’t blame it on the moonlight, don’t blame it on the good times, blame it on Eboue”. And dear old Eboue reinforces my point on actors and singers… stick to the day job.

This also reminds me why as a spotty teenager I always recoiled at the sight of kids from the Billie Barry Arts School appearing on TV with their variety of posh voices and ‰

‘versatile’ talents. There was none of that in Dublin 11. There was quite a hefty equine population, however, and thankfully none of the indigenous horses ever tap-danced or sang.

My first real memory of this thespian raid on the hit parade was when Telly Savalas, AKA Kojak, swapped his lollipop for a microphone and crooned his way to Number 1 with the song If. This was Barry White on prozac, I swear.

And the phenomenon swept through American police departments like a rumour in a Dublin Butcher’s shop.

Step forward David Soul from Starsky & Hutch. “Don’t give up on me baby… come on silver lady take my hand”. Thankfully the contagion never infiltrated British policing. I just can’t imagine Sergeant Bob Cryer from The Bill having the stage presence. And before the anoraks among my single figure audience leap on me, when Denis Waterman warbles “I could be so good for you” he was in ‘Minder’ and had left ‘The Sweeney’ so his badge had been surrendered, full stop.

Desperately Seeking Susan

As Bruce Willis was on the ascent to the pinnacle of his stardom he smiled his way through ‘Under the Boardwalk’ before launching ‘The Staple Singers’ classic ‘Respect Yourself’. He should have respected others.

A bit like the history of serial killing, while such offences are historically male dominated, they are not male exclusive. Kate Winslet and Gwyneth Paltrow are guilty as sin. But it isn’t all one way traffic. Witness the King of rock ‘n’ roll reduced to rubble throughout his catalogue of 33 films all of which are catastrophic.

See Madonna (as a singer always an innovative artist) self-combust in Desperately Seeking Susan and Shanghai Surprise.

Growing up I always had immense respect for what The Police did in the late 70s and early 80s as a band (albeit a little high-pitched) but I genuinely cringe when I see Sting resemble a plank of four by two as the “Ace Face” of the mods in Quadrophenia. At one stage he tries a dance in a night club that can only be described as an advertisement for mechanical lubrication.

And while I’m at it, I grew up hating on screen musicals.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. What’s that about? It’s a limited enough gene pool already. It hasn’t aged well either… unlike Ryan Giggs.

Telly Savalas album

To me, the combination of song, dance and acting belongs in the theatre. Maybe that’s a surprisingly oldschool view from a modernist like myself. Now where’s my box set of the Good Old Days? l

Autumn-Winter 2015 Crossword Solutions

Winter-Spring 2016 solutions (From page 46)

6 7 2 4 8 1 3 9 5

4 8 3 6 9 5 7 1 2

9 1 5 7 2 3 6 4 8

1 6 4 5 3 9 2 8 7

2 5 7 8 6 4 9 3 1

3 9 8 1 7 2 4 5 6

5 2 1 3 4 6 8 7 9

7 3 6 9 1 8 5 2 4

8 4 9 2 5 7 1 6 3

Easy

5 4 2 8 3 1 7 9 6

6 7 3 2 9 5 8 4 1

9 1 8 4 7 6 2 5 3

1 3 6 7 4 8 9 2 5

2 9 4 5 1 3 6 7 8

7 8 5 6 2 9 1 3 4

8 2 1 9 5 4 3 6 7

3 5 7 1 6 2 4 8 9

4 6 9 3 8 7 5 1 2

Difficult

See page 46 for the competition winners from issue 31.

ACROSS: 1. Grasp 5. Noted 8. Alabama 9. Again 10. Crazy 11. Spanish 14. Sally 17. Token 20. Reyered 21. Anti 22. Rare 28. Accounted 24. Crest 27. Added 30. Resists 32. Omega 33. Haven 34 Silence 35. Hitch 36. Nurses. DOWN: 1. Goats 2. Avail 3. Pansy 4. Oban 5. Nacht 6. Track 7. 12. Antelopes 13. Inverness Doyen 15. Avenger 16. Lariats 18. Overdid 19. Embrace 24. Cloth 25. Event 26. Trash 31. Ides 27. Ashen 28. Diver 29. Dance.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

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At the movies

Bound for glory The most coveted statuette in Hollywood is the driving force behind movies big and small, and the competition heats up early in the new year. MORGAN O’BRIEN takes a look at the contenders.

AWARDS SEASON is upon us and, amidst the ever-increasing number of ceremonies and gongs on offer, the Academy Awards remain the most coveted accolade. While often an exercise in self indulgent Hollywood narcissism, even this most jaded observer can’t help speculating who’ll be making the thank you speeches come Oscar night.

Spotlight

In particular, the best picture category is often the most contentious and well contested of the awards. It’s often been criticised for favouring English language films, live action over animation and US studio-produced fare. Most significantly, the Academy Awards have been challenged for giving unequal preference to films about white males.

Since 2009 the nomination list for best picture was increased from five to a maximum of ten. In theory, this allows for a greater range and variety of nominations. However, following the success of Steve McQueen’s 12 Years A Slave in 2014, last year’s ceremony was criticised for a lack of racial diversity in its nominations – leading to the twitter hashtag ‘OscarsSoWhite’.

Powerbase In this context it will be interesting to see if Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq, which satirises gun crime in the US, and the uncompromising Beasts of No Nation with Idris Elba get nominations. More generally the films, respectively produced by Amazon Studios and Netflix, represent a potential shifting of the powerbase in film production and distribution away from traditional studios.

Main photo: dreamstime.com

However, they remain relative outsiders when placed alongside more traditional contenders that reflect the Academy Awards focus on the comfortably familiar. Even with the increased number of possible nominations the best picture category still leans towards particular types of film.

Amongst this years frontrunners you can spot a number of classic Oscar-style films that deal with serious and weighty issues and/or are character driven dramas. These include: Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight, which centres around the Boston Globe’s investigation into child abuse by members of the Catholic church; Room, Irish director ‰ 30

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New flicks

Brooklyn

Lenny Abrahamson’s adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s awardwinning novel; Steve Jobs with Michael Fassbender as the titular tech guru; and Joy which sees Silver Linings Playbook director David O. Russell reunite with Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro to tell the story of the single mother that invented the ‘miracle mop’.

Melodramas Alongside these, another recognisable trope in this year’s possible contenders is films that conjure a more classic feel.

Chiefly these include the Cold War drama Bridge of Spies, with serial Oscar botherers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks directing and starring respectively, while both Carol and Brooklyn vividly evoke the 1950s setting of their source novels. There’s lots of advance speculation about Saoirse Ronan’s chances of Oscar glory in the John Crowley directed Brooklyn.

Two westerns by previous Oscar winners are also in the running.

Alejandro González Iñárritu follows the success of Birdman with The Revenant, a Western set in the early 19th century starring Leonardo Di Caprio, who is strongly tipped to finally land an acting Oscar for his performance. While less portentous fare, Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, which features Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell as part of a group of disparate outlaws stranded in a blizzard, is also hotly tipped to be in the running.

Elsewhere more populist nominations are likely to be in the form of Ridley Scott’s The Martian and the well-reviewed Creed, the latter sees Sylvester Stallone reprise the role of Rocky, who starts training the son of his former rival turned friend Apollo Creed.

Outside bet Another interesting outside bet is Mad Max: Fury Road, which Carol won best film at the National Board of Review awards in the US. However, it’s more probable that Pixar’s Inside Out will get a nod and become only the fourth animated feature nominated for the best picture Oscar.

Ultimately, the best picture category is famously difficult to predict and the selection process is often subject to aggressive studio canvassing. But bear in mind the fact that, in 1981, Martin Scorsese’s powerful Raging Bull (arguably the finest film of that decade) and David Lynch’s haunting The Elephant Man lost out to Robert Redford’s Ordinary People.

Nevertheless, awards season brings with it the usual busy schedule of winter releases as most of these big contenders arrive on our screens l

Our Brand is Crisis (22 January) This comedy-drama was a massive flop in the US when released in October. The film stars Sandra Bullock as a political strategist who becomes involved in the Bolivian presidential election – whether it can recover from its own box office crisis when released here is open to question.

The Big Short (22 January) Based on Michael Lewis’ award winning book of the same name about the period preceding the financial crash, this film features a strong cast including Christian Bale, Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt.

Youth

(29 January) Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel star in this comedy-drama about two ageing friends reflecting on their lives while holidaying in the Swiss Alps. Well received on the festival circuit the film also features Rachel Wiesz, Paul Dano and Jane Fonda.

Deadpool (4 February) Film adaptation of a less well known Marvel character, who made an appearance in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Ryan Reynolds stars in what, judging by trailers, promises to be less kid-friendly and more adult in tone.

Trumbo (5 February) Bryan Cranston stars in this biopic of Dalton Trumbo, the Hollywood screenwriter blacklisted in the 1950s for his association with Communism. Diane Lane and Louis C.K. also feature.

Concussion (12 February) Based on real life events, Will Smith stars as a doctor fighting to publicise his research into the effects of head injuries on American football players.

Zoolander 2 (12 February) Ben Stiller returns as the world’s most famous model to solve a series of assassinations of music stars. We can only hope that this sequel can capture the ridiculous madcap humour of the original.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

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In the kitchen

Vegan virtues

Photos: dreamstime.com

Veganism and vegetarianism are now more popular than ever, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not all lentil-bake and nut roasts.

Besides, our meat-eating habits might be doing us harm. Food columnist MARGARET HANNIGAN takes a look and offers some practical advice.

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RECENTLY THE term vegan moved from the outer reaches of alternative living, right into the heart of Instagrammed gossip column fodder. Vegans can no longer be dismissed as Birkenstock-wearing, tie-dyed, composting toilet stereotypes. With celebrity practitioners like Beyonce, Jay-Z, Rosanna Davison and actress-turned lifestyle-guru Gwyneth Paltrow advocating a meat-free diet, veganism is having its day in the sun.

The growing interest in veganism is not just the latest food fad, it is a response to our increasingly out of control eating habits. It seems a lot of us are still looking for a system that allows us to eat well, stay healthier for longer, and stop moving up a clothes size every second year, and we’d really like to stop fretting about it.

Difference?

So, what’s the difference between vegan and vegetarian? The vegan approach was originally defined as a non-dairy vegetarian diet. But vegans do not eat any living creatures or any substance produced by other living creatures. This includes, for instance, honey.

This is largely founded on concerns for animal welfare, and a rejection of any exploitation of animals in principle. These concerns have expanded to include the environmental damage caused by intensive farming practices, and the unhealthy diet most of us continue to eat. In the USA, for example, over 68% of diseases are diet related. That means there is a direct link between what people are choosing to eat, and the diseases that kill them.

Here in Ireland, the leading cause of death is coronary heart disease (77.6%), followed by stroke, and lung cancer. All the research indicates that around 80% of the deaths from cardiovascular disease are preventable, which means they are directly related to the lifestyle choices we make. Similarly, the risk of a stroke increases with high cholesterol and obesity, and lung cancers are almost exclusively caused by lifestyle choices like smoking tobacco.

Meat eaters Interestingly, the increased incidence of these kinds of diseases was accompanied by increased consumption of meat and processed foods. Between 1950 and 2000, world population doubled, but meat production increased fivefold. At present, a staggering 1.9 billion animals globally are slaughtered every week, with 98% of those factoryfarmed in appalling conditions. Leaving ethical arguments aside, meat is not the demon here, we are. We eat too much meat, along with too much sugar, fats and salt. Eating meat became a symbol of affluence and strength in post World War 2 society, and, with the development of intensive farming systems, it became widely available and affordable.

Eating a plant-based diet (and giving up smoking) dramatically reduces the risks. Fruit and vegetables, pulses, seeds and grains do not contain ‘bad’ cholesterol or saturated fats. They’re also high in fibre and generally packed full of vitamins and antioxidants (the cancer-fighters). The evidence is very clear; eating plants promotes health.

Fruit and nuts So, when it comes to fruit, veg, pulses, grains and nuts, the arguments are straightforward. But what about dairy? For many vegetarians cheese and eggs are important sources of dietary protein. Excluding dairy from the menu would seem to pretty much eliminate an awful lot of baked goods, not to mention sources of vitamin A and some really handy breakfasts.

The vegan argument is that we don’t need dairy products to be healthy, there are plantbased milks, and soya-based proteins, that are healthier and cheaper to produce. They argue that meat consumption has become institutionalised in our society, and that we need to look critically at what we eat, and where it comes from. Our current diet has given us an odd form of malnutrition, where by virtue of our own laziness, we eat foods that will harm us.

Sometimes the amount of dietary information we’re given is overwhelming, so it’s worth remembering the advice of the American author Michael Pollan who promotes a uniquely short and healthy dietary plan in his 2009 book Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual. It goes as follows: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

All the evidence indicates that eating less meat, or no meat at all, is a good way of not getting some very nasty diseases. So, find some vegetarian or vegan dishes that you enjoy, and learn how to cook them, then trying having a meat-free day each week, or even two or three, and take it from there l

Jamie Oliver’s butternut squash lasagne Ingredients (serves 6) l l l l l l l l l l l l l

Olive oil Large butternut squash (1.5kg) 1 level tsp ground coriander 4 cloves garlic 1 red chilli (or as little as you like) 2 x tbsps balsamic vinegar 2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes 200g baby spinach 60g parmesan cheese 250g dried whole wheat lasagne sheets 400g fat-free cottage cheese 100ml semi-skimmed milk 1 tbsp sunflower/pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4 and oil a large roasting tray. Halve and de-seed the squash, and slice into 1cm half-moon shapes. Lay in a single layer on the tray, sprinkle with the coriander and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Roast for 40-50 minutes until soft and slightly golden.

While it’s cooking, make the tomato sauce. De-seed the chilli, peel the garlic, finely chop, and place in a large pan on a medium heat with 1 tbsp oil. Cook for 3 minutes, or until golden, then add the balsamic vinegar and tomatoes, breaking them as you go, plus one tin full of water.

Simmer for around 20 minutes until thickened, then check and add seasoning as required.

To assemble spread a third of the sauce across the base of a 25cm x 30cm baking dish. Cover with a layer of raw spinach leaves, a layer of squash, a fine grating of parmesan, and a layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat the layers once or twice more, finishing with a layer of lasagne. Loosen the cottage cheese with the milk, mashing the curds a bit, then spoon it over the top. Finely grate over the remaining parmesan, and scatter over the seeds. Bake at the bottom of the oven for 35-45 minutes, until golden and bubbling, then serve.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

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Travel and trips

Hyfryd Cymru dan gynfas Lovely Wales under canvas One of our closest neighbours, Wales offers spectacular scenery, plenty of outdoor family activity and holiday options that challenge some of the stereotypes about camping holidays.

Our ten year old correspondent FIONTÁN Ó SEANACHÁIN is a big fan.

MY FAVOURITE holiday so far has been our family camping trips to Wales. I’ve been there a few times and it’s always a different adventure. It’s easy to get to and there’s plenty of stuff to do. The people are friendly, it has some lovely beaches, mountains, wildlife, and dinosaurs (no, really!) but more about that later.

Main photo: dreamstime.com

Getting there is easy. We just got in our car and got on the ferry, which doesn’t take long at all. The ferry is great and Dublin looks amazing when you can look all the way from Howth to Killiney and down the Liffey at the same time. One time I saw a small pod of dolphins jumping out of the water near the ferry, which was brilliant.

34

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When we drove off the ferry we went across Wales and down through Snowdonia National Park which covers an area of 2,130 square kilometres. The park is where the highest mountain in Wales is and it is 1,085 metres high. In Welsh, the area is called ‘Eryri'. Driving through Snowdonia is not the shortest way to get to our campsite but it is definitely the most interesting, with great hills, valleys, lots of trees and lakes.

Most of Snowdonia is a special area of conservation for wildlife so otters, polecats, and wild goats all live there. There are also plenty of wild birds of prey like the peregrine, osprey, and the red kite. Red kites are everywhere and it’s always a big surprise when you see your first one (they’re big and you can see them up close) and then you get used to seeing them all the time. ‰

Ceredigion We stayed in a campsite in Ceredigion, which is in the middle of Wales and about a half hour drive from the two biggest towns in the area, Aberystwyth and Aberaeron. We stayed in a campsite at Tyngwndwn Farm, which is run by Gyles and Alison Morris. The campsite is small, with ten sites over two fields, and really well equipped, and is part of a working farm and education centre.

Every morning all the kids staying on the campsite would go down to feed the pigs and the chickens on the farm. You can buy the eggs on the farm and they also have great sausages too. Gyles teaches courses about nature, and runs courses for school groups throughout the school term. He also teaches things like camp craft and how to light a proper campfire with a flint and steel.

We stayed in a safari tent which has room for a family of four.

The tent has beds and rugs and lots of space, they’re really comfortable. We also had a kitchen tent with a dining table and cooker and each site has its own fire pit. Every night we lit a fire and toasted marshmallows. We told stories and a few times we saw the international space station. It looked like a really bright star shooting through the sky.

The beach Weather in Wales is like Irish weather. Sometimes it’s amazing and sometimes it’s not. There are lots of beach towns along the coast, like New Quay. Our favourite is in a very small town called Llangrannog, and is a great place to go even if the weather was only just okay.

It’s at the end of a long narrow road and has high cliffs on both sides. The beach is popular for surfing and people of all ages go out on bodyboards and surfboards. Nearly everyone wears wetsuits and it’s great fun.

Afterwards, when you get really hungry from playing in the sea, there’s a great cafe called the Beach Hut which makes amazing fish and chips and all other types of food from the sea.

Days out and dinosaurs On other days we took trips out to a place called Devil’s Bridge. You take a very old fashioned train on the Vale of Rheidol Railway from Aberystwyth. The railway line is over a hundred years old and travels through big green valleys to the small town of Devil's Bridge.

Dan yr Ogof cave centre is a huge cave network and a great place to visit for a day out. It was first discovered by two brothers in 1912, and now visitors can explore the huge cave network for themselves. They even have a huge cave called the Cathedral Cave where people can get married (if you’re into that sort of thing). The centre is also home to 200 life size dinosaurs, and let’s face it, kids love dinosaurs.

Another great place is Nant yr Arian forest visitor centre, where there are walking and mountain bike trails and where you can see hundreds of red kites flying in for their daily feed at 3pm in the summer months. The centre is an official feeding station and helps to protect red kites. They circle overhead and swoop in to grab their food, it’s an amazing sight.

Pizza time One of the special highlights of my trip to Tyngwndwn Farm is the pizza night. Gyles has a wood fired traditional oven (called a ‘cob’) and he helps you make up your own pizza to put in the oven. Afterwards we have a campfire and everybody joins in the singing until the sun goes down. We finish off with toasted marshmallows and chat about our day’s adventures.

I can’t wait to go back again l

Fiontán’s top tips for Wales GETTING THERE: StenaLine ferry from Dublin Port to Holyhead – stenaline.ie TYNGWNDWN FARM: Campsite, farm and nature centre for family holidays – naturesbaseholidays.co.uk LLANGRANNOG: A great beach town and home to the Beach Hut for great food - check out The Beach Hut on Facebook VALE OF RHEIDOL RAILWAY: A nostalgic journey through some of Wales’ most spectacular scenery - rheidolrailway.co.uk DAN YR OGOF: Award-winning national showcaves centre - showcaves.co.uk NANT YR ARIAN FOREST VISITOR CENTRE: Walking, running and mountain bike trails, horse riding, orienteering and red kite feeding - see naturalresources.wales CORS CARON: Wildlife conservation area on the Cors Caron, includes a 3km boardwalk, state of the art bird hide and cycle path using the disused Ystwyth trackway (see also naturalresources.wales). Also, check out the Talbot Hotel in nearby Tregaron for excellent food and (I’m told) local craft beers - ytalbot.com.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

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From the author

An independent woman So why this story? “The theme, how women sometimes hold themselves back, because in the back of their mind is the fairy tale that some prince charming is going to come and rescue us and how that can stop us from committing to our own goals,” explains Joan.

“When I was in journalism, it was very different to now, especially print journalism. A lot of the bosses were male. I was always writing about how women juggle work, family and life. I see my daughter’s friends still doing this,” she says.

Difficult Joan has written both light lifestyle features and some difficult stories. “I covered the Romanian orphanages, survivors of child sex abuse, I had to knock on the door of a father whose daughter had been murdered, that was terrible.

“I’ve had some very interesting jobs, I like to bring that into my books and writing. The characters are made up, but some of the dilemmas I have faced are included. Sometimes I would like to improve my life, and this may mean we need to take time out and make difficult choices. This is what happens in Cinderella Reflex.

Varied Award-winning Irish journalist and broadcast producer JOAN BRADY is due to launch her first book, Cinderella Reflex, a romantic comedy, on Valentine’s Day this year.

JOAN STARTED her career as a features writer and newspaper columnist for the Irish Independent and Evening Herald.

She later worked as a researcher and producer for RTE radio, where she worked on current affairs and lifestyle programmes, including the Gay Byrne Show, Today with Pat Kenny, Liveline, Drivetime and the Late Debate.

She lives in Portmarnock by the sea, married with a grown up daughter and has secured a two book contract with Poolbeg Press. 2016 will be a busy year for Joan as she launches Cinderella Reflex, and works to finish her second, as yet untitled, novel in April.

Joan has followed the old advice to all writers about ‘writing what you know’. The main character in Cinderella Reflex, Tess, works in a struggling local radio station. Dealing with the demands of a megalomaniac presenter and a neurotic boss and the crazy workload as producer of the ‘This Morning’ programme, she yearns for someone who will make all the problems go away.

An independent woman, she nevertheless craves the arrival of a Prince Charming into her life, and her struggle is to cope with the reality that he’s never going to show up.

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Joan has had a varied career and met some interesting celebrities including Andrea Bocelli, Jane Fonda and Ivana Trump. “Jane Fonda, of all people, she is so down to earth. I’ve travelled to Barbados and Finland to do travel reviews. I liked working in both print and radio when I did it, but writing is my first love,” says Joan.

Her second book is also set in the world of print journalism from the perspective of a more experienced journalist returning to the workplace. Joan’s blog launches in January, you can follow her at joanbradywrites.com l

Win a copy Poolbeg Press have kindly given Work & Life readers two copies of Joan Brady’s first book Cinderella Reflex to win.

To be in with a chance of winning, send the answer to this question to: Book competition, Work & Life magazine, IMPACT, Nerney’s Court, Dublin 1. Make sure it reaches us before Wednesday 16th March 2016.

What is the name of the main character in Cinderella Reflex?

Only one entry per person. Multiple entries will not be considered.

Book reviews

Rare ‘auld times The Ha’penny Place Gemma Jackson (Poolbeg, €9.99).

THE HA’PENNY Place is the third novel in the series about Ivy Rose Murphy set in the backstreets of Dublin in the 1920s.

Ivy is a smart and ambitious young woman who has started making money for herself by repairing and remodelling clothes discarded by the wealthy. She also dresses dolls as well-known book characters which are selling well in the posh shops of Grafton Street. Ivy’s fiancé, Jem Ryan, is on the way up as well. He owns his own livery and the horses and carts which transport Dubliners around the city.

There are hidden secrets though. Who is the little girl who lives with Jem? She is known around ‘The Lane’ as Emmy Ryan, Jem’s niece, but a photograph of a pilot taken in Dublin Airport causes great distress to the family. Ivy has no wish to acknowledge her relationship to her late father’s relatives who have suddenly appeared in her life. Her uncle, the notorious Billy Armstrong aka Billy Flint, wants to be involved in her life.

His people are protecting her as she walks the streets of Dublin selling her merchandise, and Billy insists on paying for her wedding. To continue to be an independent woman, Ivy must avoid becoming indebted to Billy, but he is powerful in the city and nobody refuses him. Meanwhile Ivy and her aunt Betty Armstrong help a young woman in a clandestine escape from her cruel husband.

This is a simple story of life and love and the hardship and humour of a poor community. The speech rhythms and the stock sayings of the time are well observed, although there are no great insights into the Dublin of the time, nor the inner

Escape or perish When the Moon is Low Nadia Hashimi (Harper Collins).

JUST AS the eyes of Northern Europe are opened to the plight of refugees, comes this story of a young Afghan woman who leaves her home, with her children, to try to reach England.

Fereiba’s mother died on the day she was born. Rather than send her to school, her stepmother (KokoGul) kept her home to help with the household chores. Fereiba was twelve before she was allowed to attend school. Bright and studious, she caught up with the children of her age and eventually became a teacher.

lives of the characters. It doesn't evoke the sense of time and place you’d find, for example, in a Catherine Cookson novel.

It’s an easy read and a good story though, and those who have read Through Streets Broad and Narrow and Ha’penny Chance will no doubt look forward to this next instalment.

Kathryn Smith.

Fereiba tells her own story and, although she is often hurt terribly by the injustices which are heaped upon her, she remains strong, and shows no ill-feeling towards her more privileged half-sisters.

A visiting friend of her stepmother recognises her worth and seeks to arrange a marriage with her son. Despite not choosing her husband, Fereiba grows to love him. He has great integrity and intelligence and is loving and respectful towards her. From her kindly mother-in-law, Fereiba receives the mother’s love which was so sadly lacking in her early life.

The arrival of the Taliban changes everything. One night her husband is taken away and Fereiba is left with three children and no income. The Taliban forbid women to work. Her husband had planned to get the family out of Kabul and to live in peace and freedom, even without him. Fereiba realises she has no choice but to escape or perish. Facing great danger the family manage to leave Afghanistan.

From here the narrative alternates from the point of view of Fereiba and her eldest son, 15 year old Saleem. Their voices are clear and credible. The description of holding cells, hunger, sleeping outside and in constant fear is harrowing and nerve-wracking. It is a timely insight into the hardship endured by refugees and the lives they have left behind.

Kathryn Smith. more reviews on page 38 ‰ WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

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Book reviews

The joy of eating Food Whore Jessica Tom (Harper Collins).

JESSICA TOM is a very busy lady. She’s one of a new breed of authors who wrote her way onto a publisher’s list through her blog, which you’ll find at jessicatom.com, and her regular restaurant reviews in the Yale Daily News magazine. She graduated from Yale, with a concentration in fiction writing, and since then she has worked in her home town of New York City on hospitality start-ups, city-wide culinary programmes, food trucks, and restaurants. In partnership with a friend, she also produces a line of dolls, which are sold exclusively at FAO Schwarz in NYC, and she ran an offline dating site for a while – so you could say she’s quite the all-rounder and absolutely no one would contradict you.

Food Whore is the 31 year-old’s first novel, and obviously she has obeyed the first rule of creative writing classes everywhere: write about what you know. This always seems to me to be a little patronising and quite misguided – where does this leave the Game of Thrones books (please tell me nobody knows those kinds of people for real!), or Harry Potter and all the wizards? But I digress. Ms Tom fills the pages with her love of food. Its origin, preparation, taste, smell and art. She celebrates the joys of eating fine food in really good restaurants, of being in a place where eating is an arresting experience, and where “glassware and china ping with a sharp perfection.” She captures the driven nature of chefs and

restaurateurs, the quest for sublime food, the pressure to succeed, and the even greater pressure to hold onto that success.

The book’s narrator and main character in its somewhat improbable plot, is a young graduate, called Tia Monroe, who has been accepted onto NYU’s Master of Arts programme in food studies. The book opens at a graduate student reception attended by the movers and shakers in the food industry, specifically one Helen Lansky, cookbook author and former dining editor at the New York Times whom Tia has in her sights as a future mentor. Armed with a tray of dacquoise drops, her home–baked secret weapon in the war to win the absolute best internship available, Tia and her boyfriend Elliot stalk the reception. While lurking by the entrance, she has a chance encounter with the New York Times food critic, Michael Saltz, who as it turns out, has desperate need of someone like Tia, and quite different plans for her future.

Michael, it seems has lost his sense of taste. Without a functioning palate, his career and reputation are at stake, while here stands Tia, with an excellent palate, and no firm career prospects in place – and I just bet you can guess the rest.

Ms Tom writes well, in a fresh firm style, and with a deft turn of phrase. Her characterisation is a little uneven, but that may be a reflection of Tia’s self-absorption. Michael Saltz is not fully realised, he’s a little too much Lemony Snicket and not enough Frank Underwood, and poor old Eliot is just a plot device. But overall an enjoyable, engaging read, and one that will stir your taste buds.

Margaret Hannigan.

Knowing me, knowing you (a-ha!)

Easily Distracted – my autobiography Steve Coogan (Century).

I COME to this as a fan of Steve Coogan. An actor and comedian of huge versatility, his cast of comic creations since he began his career in the early 90s are iconic.

Alan Partridge, his wonderfully grotesque and self-involved radio DJ, is perhaps the best known and best remembered (and features in the first communications module of IMPACT member activist training).

Coogan’s autobiography reveals that Partridge is, at least in part, informed by some of Coogan’s own foibles, an insight that sits comfortably with him. While some readers (newspaper editors in particular) may have hoped for a salacious and revealing sex, drugs and rock and roll memoir, Coogan’s story is more about the benign forces that have shaped him.

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These are (variously) a lower middle class suburban 1970s childhood, loving parents and siblings, television, summers spent in the west of Ireland, Monty Python, punk, catholicism, a liberal/left outlook and an obsessive interest in classic fast cars. He returns to the influence of all of these things repeatedly throughout the book.

It’s not a chronological autobiography. Coogan comes at his own story through the work in which he takes the greatest pride. This turns out to be Philomena, the true story of Philomena Lee's 50-year search for her forcibly adopted son and the efforts of journalist Martin Sixsmith to help her find him.

Coogan co-scripted the film and played the role of Sixsmith opposite Judi Dench as Philomela. He talks about the process of developing the film and its journey to award success and a private screening at the Vatican. It’s a piece of work he clearly takes pride in.

It is in the latter half of the book that he begins his story properly. His early success as an impersonator was nearly his undoing, and he was saved by Partridge and the working relationship he developed with co-creators Armando Lanucci and Patrick Marber.

Perhaps strictly for the enthusiast (like me) but a welcome insight into an interesting, creative career.

Niall Shanahan.

Homeless crisis

Tenants need certainty progressive policies that guarantee fairness and stability to tenant and landlord alike.

IMPACT represents people working in homeless services and is actively campaigning with them to achieve practical solutions to the current homelessness crisis.

IN SEPTEMBER 2014, the key theme which emerged from the IMPACT-organised homelessness conference, A Roof Is a Right, was the need for Government intervention through emergency rent controls in order to provide greater security for private tenants, and a sense of stability to an oversubscribed and chaotic private rental market.

IMPACT joined a large number of other stakeholders at the Homelessness Summit last year and called for market interventions to prevent the continued escalation of people being made homeless.

At this year’s ICTU Congress, IMPACT proposed a motion which called for the regulation of rents through an indexation system, similar to those in European countries with

Since then, rental prices have continued to surge and the homeless crisis gets worse.

Short-term efforts to deal with the crisis have proved insufficient on their own. Increasing supply through building social housing is the best way to deal with this issue in the longterm, but other measures are needed urgently.

IMPACT has advocated that rent increases should be linked to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in order to achieve rent certainty for tenants. Similar regulatory models operate successfully in other European countries such as Germany, Denmark and Belgium.

Those affected should not be expected to wait any longer. IMPACT will continue to campaign with our members working in homeless services to achieve solutions.

Joe O’Connor, IMPACT organiser l

Lucy hasn’t learned the word ‘homeless’ yet.

But she already knows how it feels.

ILDREN URGENT: OVER 1500 CH CY ARE NOW IN EMERGEN ACCOMMODATION Over 1500 children are now in emergency accommodation - you can help today.

Dear reader, €40 will provide hot nutritious meals for four families of four for a day

€75 provides a safe and loving haven in our childcare centre for 3 children for a day

€1000 will provide 10 children with vital emotional counselling to heal the past and brighten the future

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

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Union business

Irish water ballot approved THE LOCAL Government & Local Services and Municipal Employees’ divisions of IMPACT have balloted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action at Irish Water, following the announcement by the water utility that it will shed 1,500 jobs as part of its business plan published in October.

The ballot result was 95% in favour of industrial action. Only members involved in the direct provision of services to Irish Water, including those who work in non-domestic water billing and water metering were balloted. IMPACT national secretary Peter Nolan has said that the union will extend the ballot to other workers in the local authority sector if it becomes necessary.

Peter said that Irish Water’s proposals constitute clear breaches of existing agreements negotiated by the union, and said the ICTU group of unions would not tolerate breaches of collective agreements as a result of the unilateral position of Irish Water. Each of the unions conducted their own separate ballot.

The ballot seeks to ensure compliance with the terms of the agreement on annual service plans and to ensure that vacant posts in the local authority water sector are filled as full-time permanent positions.

A Frequently Asked Questions document is available to download at impact.ie (search term ‘Irish Water’).

Increment ‘anomaly’ solution approved THE PUBLIC Services Committee of the ICTU has approved a measure to resolve an anomaly where increment measures, introduced as part of the Haddington Road Agreement (HRA), could have left some workers disadvantaged compared with those employed after 30th June 2016.

The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, in a letter sent to to the Committee, said that public servants recruited up to 30th June 2016 would be subject to the various increment measures of the HRA, while a colleague recruited the following day (1st July) would not be subject to the same measures and this would be “anomalous and counter-productive.”

The Department recognised that the majority of public servants will have already been subject to the increment deferrals or freezes under the terms of the HRA by the time the deal expires. However, some – such as some long service increments or where there was to be a three year incremental freeze – will not have been discharged by the agreement’s expiration date.

In order to address this, the Department has proposed that 1st July 2017 would be the final date to which any remaining increment measures incurred under the HRA would apply. The date was chosen because this is the earliest date a new recruit would attract an increment that would not be subject to any increment measures. In effect where an increment measure provided for under the Haddington Road Agreement has not been discharged and serves to extend the date for the award of an increment beyond July 2017 it will not have effect”.

The Public Services Committee, which is chaired by IMPACT general secretary Shay Cody, approved the measure.

LEGISLATION FOR LANDSDOWNE ROAD AGREEMENT ENACTED THE MINISTER for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin TD, has formally signed the Commencement Order bringing into law the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Act 2015, giving effect to the provisions of the Lansdowne Road Agreement.

From 1st January this year the exemption threshold for payment of the pension levy increases from €15,000 per annum to €24,750 per annum. This reduces the pension levy by €600 per annum for all public servants earning above the threshold.

Annualised salaries up to €24,000 increases by 2.5% through a partial reversal of the 2010 public service pay cuts and annualised salaries from €24,001 up to €31,000 increase by 1% via the same mechanism.

The legislation amends previous FEMPI legislation, which

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has underpinned the various public service pay and pensions reductions since 2009. The next phase of pay restoration under the agreement comes into effect on 1st September.

The Minister praised the role of public servants in maintaining delivery of public services through the years of crisis in an atmosphere of industrial peace. “Thankfully, we are in a position to commence the unwinding of that financial emergency legislation. This Act illustrates that this Government is committed to the process of income restoration for serving and former public servants. This package is aimed at delivering particularly for the lower paid,” he said.

For more visit impact.ie (search term ‘Lansdowne road Agreement’).

FGE branch secures new establishment model THE FGE branch of IMPACT has secured agreement on new measures to establish 430 members of the branch as officer grade civil servants by confined competition.

Subject to members having the standard criteria on service and suitability, they can now apply for establishment having completed one year of service, without interview or formal competition. The measures follow intensive negotiations over the past year between IMPACT’s FGE branch and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER).

The negotiations were conducted by the FGE branch’s seconded officials Thomas Cowman and Eugene Dunne. The establishment of the existing 430 staff will have a significant effect on their pensions.

Thomas said the new competition model is a more functional appointment method. “It replaces an outdated model that has existed since 1956 and has moved the department into a position where it has devolved authority, to handle applications for establishment, to line departments at a local level in conjunction with Public Appointments Commission” he said.

IMPACT national secretary Andy Pike said that the new measures were a welcome departure from the previous system, where sporadic competitions for establishment were agreed on a ‘grace and favour’ basis. “Under this new model, the authority to handle applications for establishment is devolved locally, and provides a fairer approach for experienced staff.”

For more visit impact.ie (search term ‘FGE’).

Renua Ireland opposes public sector pay restoration THE RENUA Ireland political party has restated its opposition to public sector pay restoration During a studio debate with IMPACT communications officer Niall Shanahan on Newstalk FM’s The Right Hook last November, the party’s deputy leader, Billy Timmins TD, said that the party opposed public sector pay restoration on the grounds that it “damaged Ireland’s competitiveness.”

Mr Timmins declined to say whether or not the party would stick to the terms of the Lansdowne Road Agreement if the party was in Government after the next general election. (See page 18).

FOUR PAY RISES SECURED FOR SCHOOL SECRETARIES AN ARBITRATION finding by arbitrator Kevin Foley has recommended four separate pay rises of 2.5 per cent for school secretaries and caretakers, who are paid from grant funding, between 2016 and 2019.

Under the proposals school secretaries and caretakers, employed directly by boards of management in State-funded schools, would see their minimum hourly rates increase from €10.25 to €13 an hour over the period. The finding means that these workers, irrespective of their current rate of pay, will benefit from a cumulative pay increase of almost 11% over the next four years. Those earning less than the minimum will benefit by a higher percentage.

The arbitrator has ruled that a pay adjustment of 2.5% should apply to all caretakers and secretaries covered by the claim from 1st January 2016, 1st April 2018 and 1st January 2019.

IMPACT deputy general secretary Kevin Callinan said that the arbitration finding had not eliminated the two-tier pay system but the proposals would end the most exploitative practices.

“Until now we had no collective agreement for staff employed directly by their schools. We had no forum within which to set agreed levels of pay, and employers took no responsibility at all for the erratic and unfair system that was in place. This is a significant result because it sets an improving standard over the next four years, and gives us an established rate of pay, with certainty on pay improvements over the period. It doesn’t solve the problem, but it does close the gap. As such, it marks a vital first step,” he said.

The arbitration decision was welcomed by the Minster for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan TD, and said the findings “are a significant step in addressing the pay concerns of a cohort who are among the lowest paid staff in the education sector and who play a vital role in the running of our schools.”

For more see ‘Arbitration finding represents first collective bargaining outcome for secretaries and caretakers’ at impact.ie.

Extension of ‘grace period’ THE MINISTER for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin TD, has issued an order to extend the ‘grace period’, for the calculation of pension benefits for retiring public servants, to 1st April 2019. Superannuation benefits of grades affected by the reductions, under the Haddington Road Agreement (HRA), will continue to be calculated by reference to the scales in place on 30th June 2013 (immediately before the HRA).

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

41

Photo album

IMPACT people

Retired members’ seminar IMPACT hosted a special seminar for retired members in November 2015. Affordable Retirement – ‘Making decent pensions part of a fair society’ focused on retirement income and took place at the Gresham Hotel in Dublin. The seminar featured presentations by IMPACT deputy general secretary Kevin Callinan, retired assistant general secretary Christina Carney, Brian Burke of the retired members vocational group and Dr. Micheál Collins of the Nevin Economic Research unit.

Kevin Callinan

Marie Higgins and Paul Murtagh

Jerry King

Myles Palmer

Photos: Conor Healy Photograpy

Brian Burke

Andrew Fitzgerald and Bobby Carty 42

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Dr. Micheรกl Collins

Vincent Lennon and Pat Bolger

Paddy Morton and Maureen Donnelly

Michele Clear and Martin Bridgeman

Denis Rohan and John Leahy

Tom Cusack and Pat Conneely

A fond farewell IMPACT bid a fond farewell to a number of colleagues in recent months. As featured in the previous edition of Work & Life, former national secretary Louise O'Donnell has taken up a post at the Labour Court. A number of IMPACT staff also retired last year and the union's staff social club held a special event in their honour in October. Pictured with Louise are assistant general secretaries Denis Rohan, Christina Carney, Stephen Lyons and national secretary Paddy Keating.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

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Sport With December’s draw placing Ireland in a group with Sweden, Italy and Belgium, KEVIN NOLAN advises that this is not the ‘group of death’ fans may have feared, and says Ireland manager Martin O’Neill’s preparation in the build-up to the games in France next summer will ultimately dictate how the team fare.

Tour de

THE PLAYERS have done the hard work already by qualifying for Euro 2016.

went all the way to the final, Italy then beaten by Spain by the same scoreline as the Spanish inflicted on Ireland (4-0).

But in an age where the culture of the football manager someone who’s responsible for all ills and failings in a team – is staggeringly over-stressed, the months leading up to 13th June will see Martin O’Neill really earn his €900,000 a year salary.

Like any manager, O’Neill can do little once his players cross that white line and wait for the whistle to start the game. It’s what the Derry man does in the build-up to the games in France next summer which will dictate how Ireland fares.

Sweden are beatable, Italy are unpredictable and it’s doubtful that anyone really sees Belgium – listed at No. 1 in the FIFA rankings at the time the draw was made last December – as the best team in the world, so this is not a group of death.

Let’s get one fact out of the way first: it will be astonishing if Ireland perform as badly as they did in Euro 2012, where our contribution of three defeats and just one goal scored is the joint-worst in the history of the finals. We may not come home from France with the trophy but we won’t be bringing home the wooden spoon, either.

The players will do their bit but O’Neill’s role will be so important, on and off the pitch. One of his big issues to deal with will be selecting a squad. Only 23 can travel – he used 25 players in the qualifiers but in general he has a 40-strong squad containing dead certs (Seamus Coleman), likely lads (Stephen Quinn), hopefuls (Harry Arter), long shots (Shane Duffy) and no-hopers (Anthony Stokes). But some big names could find themselves left behind and stalwarts like Shay Given, Kevin Doyle and Darron Gibson are not assured of a seat on the plane.

The draw for 2016 has been kinder than the group which Ireland were thrown into in 2012, and we should remember that two of the three teams who beat Ireland in the group stage in Poland

Leaving a player behind is hard, telling them they didn’t make the cut is even harder for a manager as the scars take a long time to heal for the ones who are dropped. Kevin Foley was X

Seamus Coleman, Republic of Ireland, in action against Ervin Zukanoviv and Edin Cocalic, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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Shane Duffy, Republic of Ireland, challenging in the air with Laurentiu Branescu, Romania. UEFA U21 Qualifying Round, Group 6, Republic of Ireland v Romania, The Showgrounds, Sligo.

Stephen Quinn, Republic of Ireland, in actio Sergeant, Gibraltar. UEFA EURO 2016 Cham Group D, Gibraltar v Republic of Ireland. Est Faro, Portugal.

France Before the draw was made, O’Neill bristled at the suggestion that he would take along Robbie Keane out of sentiment and Keane’s eye for goal. His presence around the squad as team captain will get him a ticket to France but Given, deprived of first-team football for most of the time since 2012 when he was beaten nine times, is not so certain of a summer in France.

Picking his midfield slots and deciding on whether to take or omit lads like David Meyler, Stephen Quinn and Harry Arter will be a test for O’Neill but at least he will ask the question, unlike Trapattoni who knew his squad and starting XI months in advance, irrespective of how the players were faring with injury or form.

The boss also has to get things right off the field, and we can only hope that in the build-up to France he will listen to the experiences of those involved in 2012. Players who were in Poland four years ago have spoken of the need to learn the lessons from Euro 2012. By the time the first game came around, Ireland was spanked 3-1 by Croatia in a defeat which effectively ended Ireland’s hopes with two games remaining. The players were bored, tired and cranky.

n against John mpionship Qualifier, tádio Algarve,

With a long build-up to the finals which saw them spend time in Dublin, Italy, Hungary and then Poland itself, the squad were sick of the sight of each other, sick of being confined to their hotels, and very fed up with Giovanni Trapattoni’s rigid training methods. Jonathan Walters said the Ireland set-up in 2012 “was a bit of a prison camp” while Stephen Hunt said the panel were “bored, tired and stale”.

The Irish side in Poland looked as if they were beaten even before a ball was kicked. The task for O’Neill in the months ahead is to do his job to make sure we have a team that’s well-prepared, confident, fit. And not bored! O

There’s always one, isn’t there?

And for the next few months, a bunch of Irish footballers hope and pray that they can be the one to get the nod from Martin O’Neill and sneak a place on board that flight to France in the summer as the tournament wild card.

Every time an Ireland side has qualified for a major tournament, at least one player emerges from the sidelines, having played no part in the qualification bid, to win a place in the squad, as James McClean (2012) and Steven Reid (2002) did as well as the ‘Three Amigos’ in 1994, all going on to make their competitive debuts in the finals.

Bournemouth’s Harry Arter, already capped once at senior level, is very high up in Martin O’Neill’s estimation and as long as he doesn’t trip himself up in the March friendlies, he’s a good bet to make the squad.

From the list of uncapped players, Brentford’s Alan Judge stands the best chance ahead of hopefuls like Adam Rooney and Eunan O’Kane, but Richie Towell needs to put in a very strong performance for Brighton to have any hope.

The Irish squad which travelled to Poland in 2012 was woefully lacking in attacking talent and clever, ballplaying midfielders like Arter and Judge will offer a lot more to a side which may need to go and win the first game, against Sweden, instead of sitting back and hoping to avoid defeat, as was the Trapattoni plan.

Photos: SPORTSFILE.com

deeply hurt by Giovanni Trapattoni’s decision to axe him from the squad at the last minute in 2012, even though the man who took his place (Paul McShane) didn’t kick a ball at the tournament.

Harry Arter, Republic of Ireland.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

45

Win Win Win

win0 €

S UD OKU

Fill in the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains the digits 1–9.

There is no maths involved. You solve it with reasoning and logic.

5

1 7

Prize quiz Just answer five easy questions and you could win €50.

YOU COULD have an extra €50 to spend by answering five easy questions and sending your entry, name and address to Roisin Nolan, Work & Life prize quiz, IMPACT, Nerney’s Court, Dublin 1. We’ll send €50 to the first completed entry pulled from the hat.* You’ll find the answers in this issue of Work & Life.

The One Cork project aims to?

1. Make Cork the new capital of Ireland 2. Get local unions working together in an organised way 3. Abolish trade unions in Cork.

IMPACT has asked members to question politicians in the forthcoming general election on?

1. How they feel about abolishing Dáil Eireann 2. Pay restoration in the community and voluntary sector 3. Having Dustin the Turkey as the next President of Ireland.

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) could?

1. Open up many services including health, social welfare, education, energy, water to liberalisation 2. Give all corporation’s profits away to charity 3. Make Donald Trump the joint president of the EU and US. Joan Brady’s first book is called?

1. The Glass Slipper 2. Cinderella Reflex 3. Prince Charming.

The 2,130sq.km Snowdonia National Park is in?

1. Wales 2. Outer space 3. The Bermuda Triangle.

Ireland’s soccer team have qualified for?

1. The Eurovision 2. The Champions League 3. European Cup Championships 2016.

The small print* You must be a paid-up IMPACT member to win.

Only one entry per person (multiple entries will not be considered). Entries must reach us by Wednesday 16th March 2016. The editor’s decision is final.

That’s it!

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Let Abe eat here periodically (5) See 27 across At best I’m a ten, I reckon (8) Lads that is, or maybe not (6) You see a bee in this country (4) Room on the calendar (5) Ti could be 35, 40 or 45 (4,4) It’s clear these are items (8) One organ appreciates another organ (3) Back and forth, round and round by this device you will be found (5) 24. National condition (5) 26. The shapely cricket ground (4) 28. To descend a mountain on one of these is a bit of a risk (3)

Win €50 by completing the crossword and sending your entry, name and address to Roisin Nolan, Work & Life crossword, IMPACT, Nerney’s Court, Dublin 1, by Wedneaday 16th March 2016.

We’ll send €50 to the first correct entry pulled from a hat.

Winners!

The winners from competitions in the autumn-winter issue were:

Crossword: Eugene Boyle, Dublin. Survey: Rose Bradley Molloy, Meath.

Quiz: Rhona Jennings, Clare. Book competition: Rosarie Hayes, Cork.

Lots more competitions to enter in this issue!

Your view

n i w0 €

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How do you like Work & Life?

WE HOPE you enjoyed this issue of Work & Life, the magazine for IMPACT members. We want to hear your views, and we’re offering a €100 prize to one lucky winner who completes this questionnaire.

Simply complete this short survey and send it to Roisin Nolan, Work & Life survey, IMPACT, Nerney’s Court, Dublin 1. You can also send your views by email to rnolan@impact.ie.

We’ll send €100 to the first completed entry pulled from a hat.*

The survey

4. What were your least favourite articles?

1 __________________________________________________ 2 __________________________________________________

1. What did you think of the articles in the winter-spring 2016 issue of Work & Life?

3 __________________________________________________ 5. What subjects would you like to see in future issues of Work & Life?

Excellent

o

Good

o

1 __________________________________________________

Okay

o

2 __________________________________________________

Bad

o

3 __________________________________________________

Awful

o

Comments ________________________________________

6. What did you think of the balance between union news and other articles?

__________________________________________________

The balance is about right

o

__________________________________________________

I want more union news

o

I want less union news

o

2. What did you think of the layout, style and pictures in the winter-spring 2016 issue of Work & Life?

Excellent

o

Good

o

Okay

o

Bad

o

Awful

o

7. Any other comments? ______________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

Comments ________________________________________

Name ________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

Address ______________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

3. What were your favourite three articles?

__________________________________________________

1 __________________________________________________

Email ________________________________________________

2 __________________________________________________

Phone ________________________________________________

3 __________________________________________________

IMPACT branch ______________________________________

The small print* You must be a paid-up IMPACT member to win. Only one entry per person (multiple entries will not be considered).

Entries must reach us by Wednesday 16th March 2015. The editor’s decision is final. That’s it!

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

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