Work & Life Issue 18

THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

ISSUE 18 • SUMMER/AUTUMN 2012

H S I IR ES atch HOe P to w on Nin e Lond h at t ames. g

PICTURE THIS A goldmine of community memories at your fingertips.

Page 12.

SHARPEN YOUR SOFT SKILLS ALL CHANGE IN EDUCATION IMF AND CROKE PARK DELIVERY PREPARING FOR STATUTORY REGISTRATION

ALSO INSIDE NEW IMPACT OFFICERS. COUNCIL’S DINNER DEBACLE. HEALTHY HEARTS. MACRA MAN’S AWARD. LADIES IN RED. VEGGIE FOOD. COMING UP ROSES. VISITING BRISTOL. CINEMA MAGIC. MEET SIOBHÁN McKENNA. COMPETITIONS. ALL THE NEWS. www.impact.ie

In this issue

work& & life – Summer/Autumn 2012 WORK

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STRANGE WORLD Dinner debacle.

HIGHER EDUCATION IMPACT’s new education division.

CROKE PARK Second year report.

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Local councils’ amazing images.

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IMPACT PEOPLE Macra man’s award.

FASHION Get into red.

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NEW CREW Meet IMPACT’s newly elected officers.

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TRAVEL Ship shape and Bristol fashion.

HEALTH Have a happy heart.

MOVIES

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

Front cover: IMPACT member Enda Leaney.

Story page 12. Photo by Conor Healy.

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

Phone: 01-817-1500.

Email: rnolan@impact.ie

UNION RIGHTS DEMANDED HEALTH SERVICE WARNING NEW EDUCATION DIVISION ICTU JOBS PLAN OUTSOURCING PLEDGE WORKING WEEK DISPUTE ALGERIAN CRISIS

PRIZES

The lure of the cinema.

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TAOISEACH LAUDS PUBLIC SERVANTS

GARDENS All rosy in the garden.

GETTING REGISTERED Health professionals’ statutory registration.

SOFT SKILLS People skills can boost your career.

CROKE PARK SAVINGS

FOOD Try a vegetarian diet.

PHOTO SHOP

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NEWS

LIFE

MUSIC Anthems and song stealers.

BOOKS Meet Siobhán McKenna.

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Win Siobhán McKenna’s new book.

Win €50 in our prize quiz.

Rate Work & Life and win €100.

YOUR MONEY Holiday cash-saving tips.

SPORT Ireland’s Olympic hopefuls.

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 on our pages. To contact the Office of the Press Ombudsman go to www.pressombudsman.ie or www.presscouncil.ie

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

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

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 1

Two wheels good DUBLIN CITY Council hosted hundreds of cyclists at a lunchtime bike ride as part of June’s ‘Bike to Work Day.’ With more and more people taking to two-wheeled pedal power, the joy of cycling has become infectious. The Dublin bike scheme has clocked up more than 3.5 million journeys and plans for similar schemes are underway in Limerick, Galway and Waterford.

Despite the recession, the Government’s ‘bike to work’ scheme remains in place. Under the initiative, your employer can help you get a brand new bike and safety equipment worth up to €1,000. You can pay it back out of your salary, saving up to 52% off the retail price. It’s good for employers too with PRSI savings, reduced parking problems and a healthier, fitter and happier workforce. On yer bike! l

STRANGE WORLD

Seconds out

dinners at Lochgilphead primary school. Fans included celeb chef Jamie Oliver, but not council officials who had her marched out of a maths class to be told photos of dinners were banned.

Photo: popphoto.com

Prompted to act by local newspaper headlines (‘Time to fire dinner ladies’) Argyll and Bute issued a statement saying the girl’s “unwarranted attacks” on school dinners had “led catering staff to fear for their jobs.” But the council had to eat its words when social media went nuts and neverseconds traffic soared to 3.5 million hits as the national media picked up on the row.

YOU NEARLY feel sorry for Scottish council Argyll and Bute, forced to eat a plateful of humble pie after it effectively banned nine-year-old Martha Payne from continuing her blog about school dinners.

A writing project expected to be followed by family and close friends, Martha’s neverseconds blog won millions of hits by photographing and rating school

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Wiping the egg off his face, council leader Roddy MucCuish apologised, telling the BBC there was no room for censorship in Argyll and Bute. “It’s a good thing to change your mind, and I’ve certainly done that,” he said.

As a side, Martha hoped her site would help raise £7,000 for a school kitchen in Malawi. Following the controversy, she’s now up to £40,000. Even Jamie could fit out a kitchen for that. l

Photo: Conor Healy Photography

The BIG picture

That was then…

10 years ago

Surprising public servants

Best foot forward SUMMER’S HERE and all those glorious walks beckon, so let’s pay tribute to the quintessentially outdoor type of extraordinary public servant, Alfred Wainwright.

Although famous for his series of guides to walking in England’s Lake District, still the standard almost 60 years after they first appeared, Wainwright was also a lifelong local government worker.

The son of an alcoholic Blackburn stonemason, Wainwright left school at 13 to work as an office boy in Blackburn Borough Council’s engineering department in 1920. He fell in love with the Lake District ten years later when he caught his first view of the Lakeland fells. In 1941 he found a new job (on less money) in the Kendal Borough Treasurer’s office to be closer to his beloved lakes.

From 1952, at the rate of a page a day, he worked on his seven-volume masterpiece Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. The 214 fells described therein became known as the Wainwrights. These beautiful and thoughtful guides – reproductions of his handwritten maps and manuscripts – remain bestsellers and recently got a boost from Julia Bradbury’s BBC4 series Wainwright Walks.

As well as penning these and several other books, Wainwright became something of a TV personality, featuring in five BBC series. Back at the day job, Wainwright rose to become Kendal Borough Treasurer for 19 years, up to his retirement in 1967. He also found time to be a founder member of Blackburn Rovers Supporters Club. Wainwright died in 1991, aged 84. l

Spain and Ireland draw one-all in the World Cup of June 2002, before Spain’s win 3-2 on penalties to book a place in the quarter-finals. Ireland had made it to the second round despite team captain Roy Keane leaving Siapan in a huff after a public quarrel with manager Mick McCarthy, which divided the nation.

20 years ago Denmark’s June 1992 rejection of the Maastricht Treaty during an Irish referendum campaign causes consternation among “Yes” supporters.

But almost 70% of Irish voters approve the treaty, which lays the foundations for the Euro.

30 years ago Attorney General Patrick Connolly resigns in August 1992 after wanted doublemurderer Malcolm McArthur is found staying on his property. The scandal is later described by Taoiseach Charles Haughey as “grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented” and ‘GUBU’ enters the Irish lexicon.

40 years ago Eleven Israeli athletes are murdered after eight members of Arab terrorist group Black September invade Munich’s Olympic village on 5th September 1972.

Five guerillas and a policeman are killed in the subsequent failed hostage rescue.

50 years ago Gay Byrne presents the first edition of The Late Late Show on 6th July 1962.

Byrne goes on for 37 years. Since his retirement, the longest running chat show in the world has been presented

by Pat Kenny, Gerry Ryan (for one night only) and Ryan Tubridy. But the show also had a fourth presenter for a brief period between September and December 1964.

Gay Byrne was back working at the BBC, so the show was hosted by Frank Hall.

Work & Life: The Magazine for IMPACT Members

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IMPACT people Originally from a small dairy farm in Templeglantine, West Limerick, IMPACT member Garvin Hickey recently won the Macra Bank of Ireland national leadership award because of his volunteer work in Macra and the Royal National Lifeboats of Ireland.

Macra m

What was it like growing up in West Limerick?

We had the best of both worlds. We could support the Limerick hurlers and the Kerry footballers.

So what are you doing in Wicklow?

I’ve worked as a social inclusion officer at Wicklow County Council for over nine years. I enjoy my work, and being a public servant, despite the negativity. The job is to ensure the council’s policies and practices don’t cause social exclusion.

Why did you get involved in Macra?

Macra is a rural youth organisation for people aged 17 to 35 and it’s a great way to meet people. Many people have a misconception that it is just for farmers, but there are people from all walks of life. It offers young people a chance to participate in a wide range of activities in a supportive environment.

The leadership award must be a great honour I was shocked to be put forward, as the calibre of candidates was very strong. We had to demonstrate leadership skills both within and outside Macra. I was delighted to win it.

Photography: Michael Crean Photography

Volunteerism obviously plays a key part of your life Yes. I was the treasurer of Macra’s Wicklow branch, now I’m the county chairperson and a representative on the national executive. I’m also treasurer of IMPACT’s Wicklow Local Government branch, treasurer of the RNLI Wicklow branch, and a rep on the Wicklow Uplands Council.

What’s it like being involved in IMPACT? It’s great. The more involved you are, the more you see the benefits of the union. We are lucky in Wicklow that we have a united team on the executive. It’s not always easy but we’re able to thrash things out and come to a conclusion. The Croke Park agreement has given us a good framework to work in.

We need to provide a united and strong voice for the workers in the council, especially in the current climate of negativity towards the public sector. u

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an gets active There is so much good work being done. I was at IMPACT’s conference in Killarney and there was a sense that, while we are in difficult times, we are ready to put our shoulder to the wheel. A unified approach, which came from leadership at the top table.

What do you do in your spare time?

I love reading and going to concerts. I’m going to Bruce Springsteen and Leonard Cohan soon.

I like all kinds of music. I like artists with natural talent and meaning in their songs.

What makes you happy?

Good coffee, particularly in the morning.

What makes you laugh out loud?

Good comedy. And being out with friends in the pub.

What is the worst feature of your character?

I’m fairly laid back and some people take it as disinterest. But I’m a fairly reserved person and take things in my stride. Coming from a farming background, I would be used to diving in and getting a problem fixed quickly. But over the years I’ve learned that sometimes you need to take a step back.

What really annoys you?

Sometimes when people are getting something for nothing, particularly from a voluntary organisation, there’s not always an appreciation that it’s done on

a voluntary basis. In the current economic climate voluntary organisations are being squeezed. For a small investment they give back a hundredfold and that’s not often understood by national policymakers. They can be seen as a soft touch for cuts.

What gets you through when the going gets tough?

The important thing is family and friends. I’ve a good circle of friends, and they can get you through anything. Sometimes just to disappear for a couple of days. Ireland is a tremendous country for holidaying. You can disappear to Kerry or Donegal and go walking in the hills to clear the head.

What’s the best piece of advice you ever had?

When I started to work in the Council, social inclusion was relatively new and we were initially regarded with a bit of suspicion. I was advised not to sit at the same table every morning, to mingle, have a cup of coffee and see what people’s issues and concerns were.

Alive or dead, who would you like to go for a pint with?

Living, Nelson Mandela. Just to see what got him through the difficult years. Dead, one of my heroes growing up was Michael Collins. I’m fascinated with his life and his level of energy.

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

I was too serious when I was 18. I’d tell myself to take a chill pill and enjoy life. Get active and get involved. By getting involved you get 110% back, and it’s given me confidence to get involved in other activities. The more you get involved, the more you see nothing is impossible. I’ve seen tremendous rewards when communities come together and share resources.

Interview by Martina O’Leary l

Work & Life: The Magazine for IMPACT Members

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Education sector

IMPACT created a new education division at its biennial conference in May to reflect membership growth and meet the substantial challenges faced by education staff. NIALL SHANAHAN looks at the road ahead.

PEOPLE HAVE very particular ideas about education. More especially, about the people who work at it. In Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, for instance, Alvy Singer outlines the shortcomings of his school days to Annie (Diane Keaton). “I remember the staff at our public school. You know, we had a saying, uh, that those who can't do, teach and those who can't teach, teach gym. And, uh, those who couldn't do anything, I think, were assigned to our school.”

It’s a funny line. The kind of punchline that’s often used to dismiss the teaching profession. And our reaction to it reveals much about how many of us view the environment in which we were schooled. It also overlooks the small matter of everyone else who takes part in providing an education. A frequent error committed by many inside and outside the education establishment.

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With IMPACT’s new education division now formally established, the union has brought together a diverse group of education workers who have already begun the process of changing attitudes and responding to the reform agenda facing the entire sector.

Special needs assistants Some years ago special needs assistants (SNAs) were almost unknown outside the classrooms where they worked. Recognition of the role has been hard fought and won and, as the single biggest branch of IMPACT, SNAs have plotted a course through many difficult issues and established their crucial role in education provision. ‰

IMPACT has brought together a diverse group of education workers who have already begun the process of changing attitudes and responding to the reform agenda facing the entire sector.

Delegates at IMPACT’s biennial delegate conference vote on the motion to create the new education division.

Along with ongoing resource issues, professional recognition remains a challenge. Many SNAs are still expected to paint school railings or do any odd job required. Any number of tasks beyond their specialist role of helping children with special education needs benefit from mainstream schooling. The full implementation of the Education of Persons with Special Education Needs Act 2004 remains a key objective for the union.

I spoke to Glyn Carolan, an SNA from county Carlow and IMPACT branch activist, just minutes after the conference vote created the new division. “I think this is an important development and a measure of how far we’ve come after years of dedication and hard work on the part of the branch. I like that we are part of a wider education network, and that our issues can be heard on a bigger stage,” he said.

Glyn Carolan (SNA)

School secretaries work in a similarly isolated environment, where unequal pay remains a huge issue and where workplace exclusion can be a big problem. Our schools have a two-tier system where some school secretaries are paid directly by the education department and others are paid from grants received by schools.

Secretaries in grant-funded schools are invariably paid less – sometimes less than the minimum wage.

School secretaries IMPACT official Brendan McKay says the union’s School Secretaries’ branch has campaigned strongly on pay. “In 2010 the education department imposed a pay cut on school secretaries paid from grant funds. The department said the cut should match the public service pay cuts. With the stroke of a pen, these secretaries, who have no job security or ‰

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 7

Education sector pension entitlements, were suddenly deemed public servants for the sole purpose of imposing a pay cut. So the campaign for pay equalisation continues,” he said.

Brendan says school secretaries are also pleased about the new division. “The main advantage is that we now have a division which can focus entirely on education issues. This will prove to be a vital resource in our campaign for pay equalisation, as well as providing school secretaries with a stronger connection to their education colleagues,” he says.

VECs Like every part of the public service, education workers are experiencing the upheaval that comes with dwindling resources, staff reductions and structural reforms. Yet they are working to ensure that services continue to meet the growing demands of a society that values education and recognises it as key to overcoming the worst effects of the recession.

Education workers delivered total payroll and non-pay savings of over €180 million in the second year of the Croke Park agreement. Overall staff levels have fallen by almost 4,200 (4.4%) since 2008, a period that also saw a 15% increase in higher education student numbers and increased school populations.

Staff levels have fallen by almost 4,200 since 2008, a period that also saw a 15% increase in higher education student numbers and increased school populations.

The vocational education committees (VECs), established in 1930 to oversee continuing education for 14–16 year olds, have grown and developed to provide a comprehensive range of education services. These include vocational schools, community colleges, post-leaving certificate courses, youthreach services, a vocational training opportunities scheme and community education. VECs have played a vital role in the economic development of the regions they serve.

The number of VECs is now being reduced from 33 to 16, while the administration of third-level maintenance grants and bursaries has transferred, for new students, from the VECs to the Student Universal Support Ireland, which is housed and operated by the City of Dublin VEC. This necessitated the redeployment of VEC staff to the new centralised body. Both measures demand a lot of VEC staff, who have proved able for the task.

In a 2008 submission to the Oireachtas education committee, local project coordinator Niall Weldon explained the value of the work in very simple terms. “Ministers for education have entrusted me and my colleagues in the SCP to get to know these young people, to listen to their stories, to genuinely care for them, to look out for them and value them, doing our best not to let any form of prejudice cloud our approach, And, when there is a need to challenge, to do so in a professional and humane way,” he said.

Institutes of technology Institutes of technology also play a vital and growing role in the delivery of third level education. As reported in Work & Life last year, the Dublin Institute of Technology is set to transform the Grangegorman site into a state-of-the-art university-style campus.

Kevin Callinan: Challenges.

An Bord Pleanála has given the go ahead, and despite the postponement of state funding, DIT has vowed to keep the project on target. Elsewhere, savings of €17 million were achieved through shared procurement in the institutes of technology and universities, while the second review by the Croke Park implementation body says the merger of Limerick and Tipperary Its will reduce the cost of each fulltime student by over 60%.

Consolidation IMPACT official Pat Bolger works closely with the VEC, IT and SCP branches and says the new division is very valuable to them all. “It brings the branches closer together, closer to the industrial staff and closer to the centres of power at a political and civil service level. That makes all the education branches more relevant in the policy system, so it really makes sense,” he says.

Activist Gina O’Brien agrees. “The union will have greater recognition as an education union, and the work can be more education-focused, with stronger ties to the department,” she says.

IMPACT deputy general secretary Kevin Callinan, who will lead the new division, says the union’s increasing education membership – now at almost 9,000 – meant the new division was an idea whose time had come.

The school completion programme (SCP), established under the National Education and Welfare Board, has grown since its 1998 inception and now operates successfully in 600 schools.

The programme maintains a discreet presence within the sector, providing vital assistance and support to encourage vulnerable young people to stay in education.

“For many years IMPACT membership in the education sector was largely confined to administrative staff in VECs and a small number of school secretaries. The huge increase in membership that followed the establishment of national branches made the creation of this division necessary. There are important industrial and policy challenges facing IMPACT members in the sector and a continuing need for the union to assert its right to be acknowledged as a major education union,” he says.

The number of individual projects grew sharply from 81 to 124 between 2007 and 2008, as the programme proved itself a model of best practice. Its great strength is that it provides locally-devised solutions to local problems, while accounting for less than 3% of spending on educational disadvantage initiatives.

The next step for IMPACT’s newest division will be the announcement of an interim divisional executive, which will be announced in the summer. With new organisers in place and the strong foundations built by years of dedicated branch work, a new chapter in the IMPACT story begins. It puts IMPACT members at the heart of our education system l

School completion

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Croke Park agreement

Photo: xx Photo by Domnick Walsh.

It’s tough but it’s working

Delegates at IMPACT’s recent biennial conference overwhelmingly endorsed the union’s strategy.

The first report from the Croke Park implementation body went virtually unreported in 2011. This year’s assessment was harder to ignore says BERNARD HARBOR. THE LATEST report from the Croke Park national implementation body, published in mid-June, identified almost €900 million in annualised payroll and non-pay savings delivered in the second year of the four-year agreement. This is in addition to savings of €600 million achieved in the first year, giving a total of almost €1.5 billion of recurring annual savings over two years.

substantial contribution by public servants, who have also suffered an average 14% pay cut since 2009. The report shows we’re ahead of Government and troika targets on public sector staffing and payroll savings,” he said.

The 30-page assessment (shorter, sharper and more substantial that last year’s) also gives examples of reforms delivered, including many that we’ve reported in Work & Life over the past 12 months.

But not everyone was happy. Transport minister Leo Varadkar responded with a bizarre call for compulsory redundancies to form part of a successor agreement. The heady prematch atmosphere in Gdansk must have made him forget that 40,000 public service jobs would be gone by then. Staff reductions are unlikely to feature strongly on anyone’s agenda come 2014.

IMPACT was among those who welcomed the report.

The union’s general secretary Shay Cody said it was now impossible for critics to credibly argue that the agreement was not delivering. “€1.5 billion of recurring savings is a

Back in Ireland, Government ministers welcomed the report, albeit with an emphasis on its call for more and quicker reforms. This unsurprising response was contrived by some commentators to suggest that the deal was in trouble. u Continues on page 10

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Croke Park agreement Savings by sector CIVIL SERVICE: Total payroll and non-pay savings of almost €163 million in the second year of the deal.

Expected to rise to over €184 million a year when nonpayroll initiatives are fully implemented.

HEALTH: Non-payroll savings of over €238 million and payroll savings of over €165 million. Total of €404 million, or 43% of all savings achieved in the second year.

EDUCATION: Total payroll and non-pay savings of over €180 million in the second year of the Croke Park agreement. Payroll savings of just over €160 million made up the lion’s share.

LOCAL AUTHORITIES: Total payroll and non-pay savings of almost €120 million in the second year of the Croke Park agreement. Expected to rise to almost €133 million a year when non-payroll initiatives are fully implemented. The sector has seen the biggest proportion of staff cuts in the public service.

Reports of troika unhappiness were similarly overstated. By and large, negative comments attributed to unnamed ‘troika’ sources boiled down to the obvious and accepted point that other ways of cutting the pay bill would be sought if Croke Park did not continue to deliver savings.

Complacency Since before the agreement was ratified, IMPACT has warned that compulsory redundancies and pay cuts would come back on the agenda if the deal failed to deliver. The union again warned against complacency when the new report was published. “We are on course to meet the Government’s goal of reducing the annual pay bill by €3.3 billion a year by the end of 2015. But it has not been easy and it will likely get more difficult, not least because the economic challenges facing Ireland are not abating and could well worsen,” according to Cody.

The fact that trade unions have argued strongly for an Irish and European growth strategy doesn’t mean we’re in denial about the public finances. From the very beginning, unions have also demanded alleviation of the annual burden of the Anglo promissory notes and made strong calls for more taxation on higher earnings. But the sums tell us that even these measures would not bridge the gap in Government finances on their own. And public spending will continue to be curtailed until the gap is bridged.

In May this year, IMPACT branches again endorsed the union’s strategy at its biennial delegate conference. “Most

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Shay Cody: Complacency warning.

public servants understand the need for further substantial cost extraction, and reforms to minimise the impact on services. But they are equally determined it can be done without further erosion of their pay,” explains Shay Cody.

And, despite some journalistic questioning of its figures, the second Croke Park report suggests that they are right.

The implementation body said the annual public service pay bill was expected to fall by €3.3 billion, after allowing for increased pension costs, between 2009 and 2015.

The Croke Park agreement continued to be “an effective enabler for the implementation of critical reform and u

Comment

IMF and Croke Park AN INTERNATIONAL Monetary Fund (IMF) report on Ireland’s progress under the troika package says Ireland’s approach to public service pay has “helped keep industrial peace, protect frontline services, raise public sector productivity, and deliver agreed savings in a durable way.” Yet some Irish media reports managed to interpret the report as an IMF call for further public service pay cuts and a review of the Croke Park agreement.

The IMF report notes that the agreement relies on “voluntary reductions in employment accompanied by efficiency gains through enhanced flexibility” and says this has “delivered the budgeted savings while maintaining industrial peace which is critical to the implementation of other fiscal and structural reforms.” Although it says IMF staff see advantages in “further wage reductions, especially in terms of immediate savings,” it falls short of recommending a change of Government policy.

Indeed, the IMF was so relaxed about Croke Park that the deal was not even mentioned in its press release, which did find space to call for more financial sector reform, a new personal insolvency framework, stronger competition enforcement and assistance for job seekers.

Savings take account of pension costs SOME OF the unshakeable anti-public service media commentary has argued that higher pension costs will eat up all the Croke Park savings. Not true.

same period; an increase of €0.5 billion. That means the exchequer will save €3.3 billion a year after allowing for its additional pension commitments.

By 2015, the total annual cost of public service pay and pensions will have fallen by approximately €3.3 billion (or almost 19%) from its 2009 peak. This includes pay cuts, the so-called ‘pension levy,’ reductions in pension payments, and savings delivered through staff reductions and reforms under Croke Park.

The implementation body report also says the expected increase in pension costs is not due to Croke Park measures. There have been virtually no enhanced pensions under the agreement (HSE exits in 2010 are the sole example) and the vast majority of early retirements have been cost neutral, with pension payments reduced to reflect any reduction in service.

Rather, increased pension costs are due to things like increased pensioner survival rates and the fact that more staff are near retirement because of substantial public service recruitment in the 1970s. l

The gross pay bill, which peaked at €17.5 billion in 2009, is expected to fall to €13.7 billion in 2015; a reduction of €3.8 billion. The pension bill will increase from almost €2.6 billion to just under €3.1 billion over the

change across the public service,” which has “succeeded in delivering significant exchequer pay bill savings and non-pay administrative efficiency savings,” it said. But it also warned that in future the agreement would be judged by its ability to “accelerate the pace of change across the public service” and deliver more savings.

Faster reforms Shay Cody, who is also a trade union representative on the implementation body, points out that the staff protections contained in the agreement have been as effective as its cash-saving reforms. For instance, employers were prevented from imposing cuts in leave on all staff because it was not part of the deal. Because of this, he said workers should not fear the call for accelerated delivery of reforms.

reduction of 9,500 staff targeted between now and the end of 2015, we need to address and resolve fears about service quality and continuity,” he said.

Change on the scale now being demanded and delivered doesn’t just happen. It’s hard work and it requires a framework. As IMPACT has repeatedly said, Croke Park provides an important but very simple framework. Public servants must co-operate with the extraction of €3.3 billion of payroll and pension costs. In return their salaries won’t be cut for a third time, and compulsory redundancies will be avoided.

That’s a valuable, if demanding, protection for public service workers on this economic terrain. But it’s a valuable protection for taxpayers and citizens too because it’s helping

“We should take courage from the achievements and develop a more imaginative approach to the operation of the recruitment embargo.

With a further reduction of 9,500 staff targeted between now and the end of 2015, we need to address and resolve fears about service quality and continuity.”

But he also urged a more flexible approach to the recruitment embargo. Noting that public service staffing had fallen by 17,300 in the first two years of the agreement, he said key services had to be prioritised and maintained as the pay bill continued to fall. “We should take courage from the achievements and develop a more imaginative approach to the operation of the recruitment embargo. With a further

prioritise and maintain services as budgets and staffing falls.

Nobody has yet put forward an alternative that would equal Croke Park’s record of, and further potential for, cost extraction and service reconfiguration through the most rapid, far-reaching and conflict-free changes in public service work practices since the foundation of the state. l

Work & Life: The Magazine for IMPACT Members

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Public service

Photo: Conor Healy

MARTINA O’LEARY discovers a goldmine of community history in local authority photo archives.

WE ALL love rooting through old photos and reminiscing about old times. But as the years go by, photos get lost or damaged, and we never seem to get round to taking the picture we really want.

Now Dublin City Council libraries, and Dr Enda Leaney other public libraries around the country, are literally taking the photos out of the bottom drawer and making them accessible to the public through their websites.

IMPACT member Dr Enda Leaney is part of the Dublin City public libraries team who are digitising the Dublin collection.

“There were boxes and boxes of unsorted negatives in the basement of Dublin’s Mansion House. Although they were kept in pretty good condition, we didn’t know what was there.

ation’s ublin Corpor Workers in D t. en m part cleansing de

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It was a goldmine of images and, because of technology, we can digitise them. It’s a painstaking process, but it also shows how public servants are embracing technology and libraries have always being moving with the times,” he says.

It is a unique visual record of the history of Dublin and Dubliners. Included are galleries on buildings long since gone, Dublin ‘Corpo’ staff working away, the 1974 bombings, tenement Dublin, the civil war and vanishing Dublin. New galleries are created on a regular basis as the team works through the negatives.

Image “The photos were taken by Dublin Corporation or Dublin City Council staff. The earliest photographs we have are from the 1950s and the bulk of images at the moment are from the 1960s and 1970s. We are moving into digitising the 1980s and 1990s,” explains Enda.

Trying to find out about each photo is a huge part of the work. And this is where the public can help, either ‰

Chislers: Im age of childre n. Children playing in St . George’s Po cket

through the website, or as the Dublin exhibition visits libraries.

“There is a photo of kids playing in Pearse Square and a guy emailed us from Australia saying ‘hey, that’s me.’ The negative of the lamplighter image was found in an envelope. I thought it was from the 1960s or 1970s. We put it up on the internal Dublin City Council website, as we had no information about it. It turns out the photo was taken in 1989 for an exhibition on public lighting. Dublin Corporation worker, the late Paddy Hunter is the man in the photo. He was one of the last lamplighters and he had his full uniform,” says Enda.‰

“There’s a photo of kids playing in Pearse Square and a guy emailed us from Australia saying ‘hey, that’s me.’ The negative of the lamplighter image was found in an envelope. Dublin Corporation worker, the late Paddy Hunter is the man in the photo. He was one of the last lamplighters and he had his full uniform.”

Tenament Dublin Dublin’s Thomas Street.

Roches Stor es, on Dublin ’s Henry Stre et

onnell Street a’s shop, O’C Madame Nor WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 13

Public service Enda is conscious that he and his team are preserving a unique and rarely-seen visual record of Dublin in the second half of the 20th century. “It’s about preserving a cultural heritage and encouraging an interest in history, culture and research. You need to provide the bedrock of primary material which drives research, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re making this material accessible to everybody at minimal cost while promoting the library service and the public service.”

IMPACT recently sponsored a lecture and exhibition from the archive as part of the 2012 May Day celebrations. With its workshops on using photos in local history, the project ties in with Dublin City Council’s remit of preserving the city’s cultural heritage and its desire to attract people back into libraries.

“We hope that people will be able to look back and see photos of individuals from primary school, socialising at a dance, they will see how people looked and behaved.”

“It’s also a record of what the public service has done and the improvements in the city. The photos in themselves are ordinary. It’s the passage of time that makes them extraordinary. You can see how the city has changed, how it has evolved,” says Enda.

The team is keen that people look at the website and feed in information about the images. “This has to be a way of getting people in the door and using public library services. It provides an entry point into local studies and history. We are appealing to people worldwide to feed us information about the photos,” says Enda.

Clare The same is true for Maureen Comber and Antony Edwards, both IMPACT members, who are part of the team working on the Clare County library photo archive. County Clare’s archive has been available online since 2004, and there is a huge interest from the public.

“Often when I put up a photo, we won’t know the identity of the people in it. There’s a form on the system for people to feed in and tell us about them. People take the photos to the pub, or people’s houses, and fill in the names. It is very much a community-based service,” says Maureen.

Main picture: Round Tower and Cathedral on Scattery Island. Irish Tourism Association Survey.

Anthony outlines the importance of such collections.

“Photos are not selective. They capture whatever is there. You can see the state of the road, the rubbish on the streets.

There is a lot of information in these photos. In the future, we hope that people will be able to look back and see photos of individuals from primary school, socialising at a dance, they will see how people looked and behaved,” he says. ‰

Part of . Tipperary. , Ballina, Co ne ga Le an Mamie Eg re Collection.

Heritage Cent the Killaloe 14

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Kilkee fisherm en outside th e Kilkee boat Part of the M house. urphy Hynes Kilkee collect ion.

The Clare collection goes back to the late 1800s and covers momentous social-political events like local evictions as well as images from daily life like people socialising at the local dance. “The whole emphasis of the website is access. Once we have copyright, the image can be downloaded for free,” says Anthony.

Roots A lot of people use the sites to help trace their family roots. The Clare service has a headstone collection, donated by local history societies. This allows you to search online for individual headstones and zoom in to read the inscriptions. Both the Dublin and Clare archives link with the local census done at the beginning of the 19th century.

“The photos in themselves are ordinary. It’s the passage of time that makes them extraordinary. You can see how the city has changed, how it has evolved.”

“The passage of time makes these photos more and more relevant. People love it. One image always gets a reaction: A shop front of Madame Nora’s, which was close to the Savoy on O’Connell Street.

You put that photo up and you’ll have people talking for half an hour. People love that. It’s a shop people have forgotten about,” explains Enda.

It’s a really important service in terms of cutting edge history; a serious project that also gives people great enjoyment and promotes both libraries and the public service. “It reminds people that the public service can do stuff that no one else can,” says Enda.

Enda says libraries are about social inclusion. “Your so-called social status should not be a barrier or an impediment to education, knowledge and betterment. Libraries are one of the ways in which that can happen,” says Enda.

The Irish have always had a deep sense of cultural history and heritage, with stories and memories passed down from generation to generation. Without the public servants working in the local authority library service, a lot of this visual history would be lost. They’ve made our culture accessible at the click of a button l

You can visit these sites at: http://dublincity publiclibraries.com/ image-galleries/ digital-collections http://foto.clare library.ie/fotoweb/

ng a istletoe duri ing under m nistymon.

En in ll ha A couple kiss n e in the tow nc da as m st Chri el John Glynn Photo: Micha

An eviction pa rty arriving at the house of John Flanag an, Tullycreen, Co . Clare.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 15

Photos by Conor Healy.

Statutory registration

Protecting the professionals Occupational therapist Elaine Doyle and student Catherine Durcan attended the conference.

Statutory registration is about to introduce demanding new standards for health and social care professionals. BERNARD HARBOR attended a conference that outlined what IMPACT is doing to protect them.

THERE WAS a great buzz at Dublin’s Helix theatre recently when over 400 health and social care professionals from ten professions came together to discuss the implications of the forthcoming statutory registration of their professions.

The practitioners covered include social workers, social care workers, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, physiotherapists, podiatrists, clinical biochemists, dietitians and orthoptists.

Like nurses, doctors and dentists before them, statutory registration will place a legal obligation on individual professionals to register before they are permitted to practice in the State. It will also introduce new fitness to practice procedures that could see practitioners struck off the register for professional misconduct, poor performance, criminal conviction, or impairment due to illness including alcohol or drug dependency.

As IMPACT unveiled new measures to protect members in future cases, virtually all the speakers had a strong message about the value of trade union membership. An excellent presentation, now available on IMPACT’s website, sets out exactly what health professionals should expect after they become legally obliged to register from next year. Its author, barrister Rosemary Mallon, urged practitioners to seek u

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Protect your job and career

• •

STATUTORY REGISTRATION means health professionals can be subject to court-like fitness to practice hearings if complaints are made about their behaviour, performance or professional conduct. IMPACT says all practitioners are entitled to fair procedures and due process and it has put a new package in place to ensure its members are guaranteed all necessary legal advice and representation in fitness to practice situations. The union has vast experience of representing health and social care professionals in meetings, tribunals and hearings and its members will benefit from:

• • •

advice from a union if complaints were made against them – or even if they thought a complaint might be made by a manager, colleague, client or patient.

Quality standards IMPACT was represented by Christina Carney, the official assigned to the groups of members now coming under the registration umbrella. She outlined the union’s strong support for registration, which she said could help deliver best practice, high quality health services and continued outstanding professional standards.

As far back as the 1990s, IMPACT placed registration at the centre of its argument for the professions to be recognised as independent and autonomous, and to be properly valued in their own right. Before this campaign, there was effectively no career structure for the health and social care professions – a fact that was reflected in extremely poor rewards and career prospects.

In 2000, the Expert Group on Various Health Professions was set up on foot of IMPACT’s campaign, which had already won vastly improved pay and professional grading structures for the first time. It supported statutory registration, which has finally been introduced under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act. Christina said the union was now dealing with the practical implications of registration, which will be compulsory for social workers from next June before being rolled out to the other professions. Chief among these are the cost of registration and the threat of possible fitness to practice hearings that could ultimately see practitioners lose their livelihoods. She outlined the arrangements IMPACT has made to ensure its members are properly legally represented if their fitness to practice is questioned.

Expert local negotiators to provide moral and practical support and assist with case preparation, coordination of witnesses and similar issues.

A legally-qualified official who will monitor all cases to ensure that members don’t make errors early in the process, which might weaken their position in later hearings.

Where necessary, the union will arrange and pay for legal representation at fitness to practice hearings.

IMPACT will only appoint expert lawyers with experience in this area of law.

The union will consider the High Court appeals in cases that raise important professional principles.

These benefits will not cost IMPACT members any extra money – but they are not available to you unless you are a member of IMPACT. Find our more on www.impact.ie.

“You cannot have effective registration of a profession without the ability to exclude those whose actions or judgements render them unfit to practice. You cannot properly protect the public if those deemed unfit to practice continue to do so.

Nevertheless, all practitioners are entitled to fair procedures and due process and IMPACT has put a package in place to ensure its members are guaranteed all necessary legal advice and representation for free in fitness to practice situations,” she said.

Competence Barrister Rosemary Mallon said the new law defined poor performance as “any failure of the registrant to meet the standards of competence that may reasonably be expected of registrants practicing that profession.” She outlined five possible sanctions if complaints against professionals were upheld:

• • • • •

Admonishment or censure Attachment of conditions or restrictions on registration Temporary suspension of registration Cancellation of registration A temporary ban on applying for restoration to the register.

Union advice “Once a professional becomes aware that a complaint has been made against them I would strongly advise them to immediately seek advice. The importance and value of immediately contacting your union cannot be overestimated.

Your union will also be able to guide you through the process and offer advice on the course of action you should take,” she said. Rosemary went on to outline how IMPACT could help prevent complaints turning into unpleasant and expensive fitness for practice hearings.

Clare Treacy of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation said the number of complaints against nurses, who already have to be registered, was increasing each year. She warned that professionals were responsible for their legal costs, which could be as high as €10,000 a day in complex cases, even if a complaint against them was dismissed. She also pointed out that complaints could be upheld because of activities outside the workplace. u

Work & Life: The Magazine for IMPACT Members

17

Photos by Conor Healy.

Statutory registration

IMPACT’s Christina Carney and barrister Rosemary Mallon agree that professionals need to be in a union.

“We can all agree that regulation is positive to ensure the public is protected and our professions are held in high esteem. However, the trend indicates that more and more professionals will be subject to complaints. Therefore it’s

Fee fury IMPACT SAYS a proposed €295 annual registration fee for registration is a tax on employment and the union has vowed to do whatever’s necessary to get it reduced. Registration fees for nurses are currently €88 a year, while education minister Ruairi Quinn recently agreed that the €90 fee for teachers should be reduced to €65.

Talks with the health department last year resulted in a reduction from €385 to €295 for qualified practitioners and from €200 to €100 for students. But it’s still too high and there’s no indication that the department intends to budge.

The regulation body CORU argues that registration must be self-financing and the relatively low numbers

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important that professionals ensure that they are professional and legally supported in defending their actions and decisions,” she said. l

in the professions, compared to teachers and nurses, means the individual cost is higher. IMPACT says that’s not good enough. Registration is being implemented primarily to support service quality for patients and clients. Why should these particular practitioners be forced to bear the cost?

The union is currently advising qualified social workers – the first profession subject to the new arrangements – to postpone their registration until the dispute over fees is resolved. They have until 31st May 2013 to register.

IMPACT believes a fair solution can and should be found. But it warns that time is running out. “We remain in discussions, but if this is not resolved satisfactorily we could find ourselves in dispute,” according to union official Christina Carney, who also advised health minister James Reilly not to underestimate the resolve of the professionals concerned.

Follow developments on www.impact.ie.

Your career

Soften up for success Soft skills could determine whether you progress in your career says ISOBEL BUTLER. EVERY JOB has a set of core skills and essential qualifications, which are known as ‘technical’ or ‘hard skills’. To work as a nurse you need a nursing qualification. If applying for a secretarial, administrative or PA post, you’ll need to be skilled at word processing, databases and spreadsheets.

Every successful career depends on having the appropriate hard skills acquired through training, education and experience. But there’s a second set of less tangible ‘soft skills’ or ‘people skills’. These are more difficult to measure but, in tandem with your hard skills, they can help you stand out from equally qualified candidates – and could determine whether you successfully progress in your career.

structive feedback and practice are the steps to a new set of skills.

How effective a communicator are you? How well do you listen to others? Do you frequently interrupt or voice your own opinion as soon as the other person stops talking, rather than engaging with what they had to say?

Do you check to see if your message has been fully understood? Do you have a tendency to drift off when others are talking to you? Honest self-reflection can help you pinpoint effective and ineffective habits and allow you to set goals for small aspects of behaviour or habits that need to be targeted and changed.

If you recognise that you have a tendency to drift off when others talk to you, breaking the habit and giving people your full attention when they are talking is the first step to becoming a more effective communicator. ‰

Image: dreamstime.com

Soft skills determine how we interact with others. They include team working, effective communication, being flexible, problem solving, leadership, learning from constructive feedback or criticism, self-confidence, resilience, and organisational and time management skills.

Behaviour Some people inherently have soft skills that allow them to thrive in certain work situations. But these skills also reflect the behavioural habits we’ve developed through life. Most of us have a range of behavioural habits; some effective, some ineffective and some partially effective.

Before we can develop new, effective habits and soft skills, we need to break or change any ineffective behaviours. To do this we need to become aware of our own strengths and weaknesses in relation to these skills. A combination of self-reflection, observation, conWORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 19

Photo: dreamstime.com

Your career

One of the key things underpinning our behaviour is our attitudes. For instance, if we believe that people are inherently lazy and disinterested, we might behave in an autocratic manner when faced by a team of people who need motivation to achieve a task or solve a problem. Whilst this might work with people who have no understanding of the job, it certainly won’t work with a team of highly skilled people who’ve done it many times.

Instead of building an effective team, this behaviour has the potential to turn people off, introduce conflict, and lead team members to feel undervalued, demotivated and perhaps even mistrusted.

Reflection You can assess your skills as a team builder, leader or problem solver by reflecting on an experience. What helped and what hindered us in solving the problem? How did my behaviour help or hinder our problem solving as a team? How could I be more effective if this were to happen again? How could I engage differently with my team the next time?

You can extend this type of reflection to include the whole team to get feed-

7

steps to soft skills

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Reflect and be honest Think effective communication Plan how to help your team See problem-solving as an opportunity Observe those who are good at this Seek feedback Practice, practice, practice!

Before we can develop effective habits and soft skills, we need to break or change any ineffective behaviours and become aware of our own strengths and weaknesses.

back from a wider source and do some team building by being open and honest and inclusive with team members. Attitudinal change brought about by this type of reflection and constructive feedback can really motivate us to plan how to change and try out new behaviour.

Observing others who are good in relation to the soft skills you want to develop is a good way to learn skills.

You can also attend workshops, which will give you tips and an opportunity to practice these skills. But you must also continue to practice the behaviour back in your place of work.

Mentors or coaches can be useful in a number of ways. They can help with self-reflection and planning, and they can be another source of constructive feedback and provide a safe place to practice new behaviours or discuss how you might work on a specific aspect of a skill.

Remember that, in many workplaces, it’s not the nature of the job or the problem that’s the source of the conflict, but the absence of soft skills among those involved. Start reflecting, planning and practicing today. Soft skills can be the real key to success in your next career step 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.

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IMPACT officers

Meet the new team Every two years IMPACT’s delegate conference, made up of representatives of every branch, elects the union’s officers. Together with divisional representatives, they make up the IMPACT central executive committee (CEC), which is charged with implementing conference policy and driving union priorities. Apart from the conference itself, the CEC is the most important decision-making body in the union.

MARGARET COUGHLAN Union position Vice president.

Branch: Wicklow HSE. Years active in IMPACT: 17 years in two branches.

Inspiration: I’ve had a sense of social justice from an early age and became an active trade unionist at 18. Both my family and my husband's have a long history of union activity.

IMPACT’s biggest challenge: To maintain the highest possible levels of employment, retain employment rights and union density, and recruit as many new members as possible.

What do you hope to achieve: To support and develop union training and encourage women to become more active at senior levels of the union.

Anything else to declare: I’ve been a member of ICTU’s Women's Committee for the last two years and have trained as a ‘global solidarity champion’.

JERRY KING

Union position Honorary equal opportunities officer.

Union position Senior vice president.

Occupation Grade IV in Sligo, Leitrim and West Cavan PCCC, HSE.

Occupation HSE catering manager.

Joined IMPACT: In the 1990s.

PAT FALLON

Joined IMPACT: 1982.

Joined IMPACT: 1985.

Inspiration: At first it was a job to be done but I’m now driven by intense anger and frustration at how my work colleagues are portrayed.

IMPACT’s biggest challenge: Our ability to organise, defend public sector workers, and ensure that any successor to Croke Park gives us the protections we require.

What do you hope to achieve: To ensure that our union lives up to its principles and embraces equal opportunities for all.

Anything else to declare: To achieve this it’s important that members take an interest and play a role in their union.

Occupation HSE grade IV in Mallow general hospital.

Branch: Mayo.

Years active in IMPACT: 15.

Inspiration: A combination of things including my political views and a family history of trade union service.

Union position Honorary secretary.

Occupation Librarian.

Branch: Sligo.

Years active in IMPACT: I joined the branch committee around the same time I joined the union and have continued to serve ever since.

MAEVE McCARTHY BARRETT

IMPACT’s biggest challenge: Defending our pensions and what’s left of our terms and conditions of employment, and being in a strong enough position to take advantage of the inevitable upturn. We could get left behind if we’re not vigilant.

What do you hope to achieve: See above.

Anything else to declare: It is a disgrace that we’re the first Irish generation whose children will be worse off than their parents. We need to get smart very fast, within IMPACT and within ICTU, to reverse this. With resolve it is possible.

Branch: Cork.

Joined IMPACT: February 1992.

Years active in IMPACT: I got involved following the 1993 dental surgery assistants’ dispute.

Inspiration: I initially became active because no other medical secretary was willing to join the committee that was being set up. I felt it was important that every eligible grade was represented. Members were not being consulted or informed, so I felt getting involved would help me and my colleagues.

IMPACT’s biggest challenge: Recruiting and retaining members and identifying and training enthusiastic union activists in the workplace.

What do you hope to achieve: I hope to listen and learn from more experienced CEC members and play an active part in decision-making to the benefit of members.

KEVIN O’MALLEY

TARA ROBERTSON

MICHAEL SCULLY

MICHAEL TOMNEY

Union position President.

Union position Honorary treasurer.

Union position Vice president.

Union position Vice president.

Occupation Administrative officer, Killarney Town Council.

Occupation Senior staff officer in Dublin City Council.

Occupation Cartographer. I make maps.

Occupation I work in building services in Dublin Institute of Technology.

Branch: Kerry.

Joined IMPACT: Fadó Fadó.

Years active in IMPACT: All my working life.

Inspiration: Together we are stronger.

IMPACT’s biggest challenge: Meaningful reform and the retention of our hard-won terms and conditions.

What do you hope to achieve: I hope we can build on the great progress of the last two years in my second term as president.

Anything else to declare: Public service does exactly what it says on the tin.

Branch: Dublin city.

Joined IMPACT: Too many years ago to remember.

Branch: Ordnance Survey.

Branch: Municipal employees.

Joined IMPACT: About 20 years ago.

Joined IMPACT: 1998.

Years active in IMPACT: 12.

Years active in IMPACT: About 20 years.

Years active in IMPACT: 12. But I’ve been active in trade unions since 1970.

Inspiration: When I started work we had strong and committed union representatives who gave great support and encouraged participation.

This really inspired me to get involved and give support to others.

IMPACT’s biggest challenge: Developing the organisation, recruitment and training strategy, maintaining our role as the leading public service trade union, and continuing a first class service to members in an increasingly tough environment.

What do you hope to achieve: See above.

Anything else to declare: I intend to ensure the good governance of the union’s finances.

Photos by Domnick Walsh.

Inspiration: The treatment of the military when I served.

IMPACT’s biggest challenge: To keep the Croke Park deal alive and plan for its successor.

What do you hope to achieve: To highlight the profile of the elected people and to change public opinion about public servants.

Anything else to declare: I intend to do my best on behalf of the members who voted for me.

IMPACT’s biggest challenge: Protecting pay and conditions, including through the Croke Park agreement, and finding the right balance to allow the unemployed to enter the workforce and become part of society.

What do you hope to achieve: I will remain true and loyal to the good people who elected me and all the members.

Anything else to declare: As a former international referee, I know the white heat of battle and I’m ready for the fight.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 21

Looking good

Red hot on the high street A bit of careful retail therapy can inject that sunshine feeling into your wardrobe, says TRISH O’MAHONY. SUMMER 2012 is all about bright colours, neon and bold print. Top that off with vivid lip colours, statement-making necklaces and colourful blazers and you can create your own summer, with or without the sunshine.

Yellow, mint green and red are key colours this season. Twist in a bit of tangerine tango and you’re totally on trend. Red, the colour of love and romance, also signifies confidence, stimulating energy and enthusiasm. It suits most colourings and instills an automatic feelgood factor. Go the shade that best suits your skin and hair colouring.

It’s a good transition colour too, because it’s not overly summery and, depending on the piece you buy, it could carry you into the winter months.

Lancome’s aptly named Rouge in Love collection of lipsticks is the perfect finishing touch for a really long lasting finish. Go Rose Boudoir for drama, or Corail in Love for a more understated look.

If red is a colour you would usually avoid, don’t spend too much on your red dress. Some of the best value is to be found in Dunnes, Marks and Spencers, and Next.

Trends The high street is the best place to start to fill in those wardrobe deficiencies. Choose wisely and you’ll be able to wear your new purchases as a transition from summer to autumn. It makes sense to familiarise yourself with the emerging trends. Autumnwinter 2012 will see a continuation of neon and colour blocking, with hibiscus red, hot coral and legion blue featuring heavily.

Colour blocking or colour clashing is around a while now, but it’s still fashionable for summer 2012, autumn-winter 2012 and summer 2013. Sticking to simple shapes, like shift dresses, pencil skirts and maxis, is the secret to successful colour blocking. Shades need to have the same degree of intensity but be opposites on the colour wheel. Clash pink and yellow, or orange and blue, for example.

Green and black is a more conservative version of colour blocking, as worn by Jennifer Lopez recently. Yellow works with a white and black combination. Finish with neutral or metallic accessories.

Pennys

River Island 22

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As for mix and match print combinations, the rule is – there’s no rules. Except to say print overload is the object of the exercise.

And this is not the season to be shy. If you want inspiration on how best to achieve this look check Miu-Miu 2012 on the catwalk. Penneys achieve the look with a printed bustier (€7), ‰

River Island

tropical print pencil skirt (€13) and belt (€4). Colour clashing is great because you can wear what you like with what you like and, because they don’t go, you’re in fashion!

Spiky Pencil skirts, the tighter the better, teamed with spiky stiletto and sheer blouses is very ‘now’ and a good day-cum-night time look. Next have particularly nice metallic pointed courts. Style, versatility and comfort in one purchase.

Zara have a selection of sandals from neon to woven featured in the top 100 shoes in the Fashion Bible, competing with the likes of Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choos. Fortunately, they’re not in the same price league.

Colourful blazers really are very versatile and there’s a great selection of cheap and cheerful styles around. I didn’t think twice about a lined, off-white tuxedo style dinner jacket in Pull and Bear for €26. It machine washes like new and dresses down a skimpy little dress for evening wear, dresses up skinny jeans and t-shirt combo, and gives formality to work wear. It also looks great with the bright printed dress trend. Wear with killer heels for night time and lace up brogues by day or bare legs and biker boots for a more casual, around the town look.

If you like neon, but only in small amounts, a scarf or bag is the perfect way to add a splash, without over-committing. Scarves are always a great way to finish your outfit, allowing you to colour clash without risking the OTT effect. They give a new

Sticking to simple shapes is the secret to successful colour blocking. Shades need to have the same degree of intensity but be opposites on the colour wheel.

Clockwise from left: Coral Print shift dress, Next. Red linen colour block dress, Marks & Spencer.

Red Beaded Hem Dress, Dunnes Stores. Rhianna Jacket, River Island. Paisley Printed Scarf, River Island. Pattern scarf, Front Row Society. Paisley Printed silk scarf, Next. Rosewood and Gold plate cuff, The Branch at Accessoriesdirect.com. Printed Beaded Gladiator shoes, Pennys.

Block colour heel, River Island. Metallic pointed courts, Next.

lease of life to your old reliables and personalise your high street purchases. Just because we’re saving money doesn’t mean we want to be dressed, head to toe, like everyone else. River Island and Pull & Bear have a selection of scarves for under a tenner.

And, to complete the summertime ensemble, Irish style, Penneys have a large selection of bright, cheerful raincoats priced at €20. Don’t leave home without it l

Pennys

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 23

In the kitchen

It’s not easy being green More and more people are choosing to become vegetarians.

MARGARET HANNIGAN gives some great tips on how to be green and have a balanced diet.

Photos: dreamstime.com

The long haul Colour Eating starts with the eyes, so combine vegetables of different colours and flavours in one dish. Dark green broccoli with diced red chilli, green beans with a band of tomato sauce, salads with grapes, avocado, orange segments, herbs.

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Whether you’re an old hand, or an absolute beginner, here are some pointers to being a vegetarian.

Shape Shape and texture are critical to the way you taste. Try batons, strips, shredding, not just rounds!

Toppings Add interest with toppings – toasted nuts, seeds, breadcrumbs, crispy fried sage leaves, roasted peppers.

Texture Vegetables will absorb dressings and other flavours better if they are a little softer. Add crunch to sandwiches where possible. Make half your grains whole grains.

Flavour Stock up on spices, herbs, oils, and condiments and experiment with flavour boosts.

ASK KERMIT the frog, Irish fans in Poznan and aspiring vegetarians. It’s not easy being green. Liking vegetables is an undeniable requirement, but it will be hard to persist as a vegetarian if you don’t also like pulses, nuts and fruit.

It helps if you eat tofu, a tasteless soya bean curd which has a chameleon-like ability to blend with its surrounding flavours, but it’s not essential.

Eating dairy products (lacto-vegetarian) and eggs (ovo-vegetarian) makes a nutritional balance easier to achieve. It’s easier again if you eat fish (pesco-vegetarian).

Or, you can reconcile yourself to being a flexitarian – mainly vegetarian, but eats fish or meat once or twice a week. But be careful about putting that as your face book status, as it may be open to misinterpretation.

How to begin

Broccoli with garlic, cashew nuts and chilli

For beginners, all the available advice is to do it gradually. Try substituting vegetarian ingredients, like beans or lentils, for the meat in familiar recipes in dishes with strong flavours like curries, chillies or bolognaise.

Start with one meat-free day a week, then use meat or fish as a side-dish, not the focus.

Try to increase the vegetable and fruit content of every dish by blending vegetables like carrots, peppers, onions, courgettes, sweet potato into sauces and soups to bulk them up.

The science bit Vitamin B12 occurs naturally only in animal products, and the iron in leafy green vegetables and eggs is significantly less than in red meat, so take a supplement. Educate yourself about vitamins, minerals, protein and the kind of fats and oils that will keep you healthy.

Vegetarian food will generally be digested more quickly, so you may need to eat more often. If you’re abandoning dairy products, think about calcium intake – essential for healthy bones and teeth – and use a supplement, or calcium-fortified substitutes.

On the plus side, vegetables and fruit are rich in antioxidants, phtyo-chemicals and fibre, and vegetarians tend to have lower rates of almost all chronic diseases which, apart from a fondness for animals, is probably the reason you made this choice in the first place.

Here’s a recipe designed to re-invigorate the much-maligned broccoli!

There are thousands of vegetarians living in Ireland and it’s not as difficult as it used to be. There are many restaurants being adventurous in this area, while supermarkets and health food shops stock the pulses, beans and fresh herbs you need l

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500g Broccoli

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3 cloves garlic

l

2 fresh red chillies

l

2 tbsp rapeseed/groundnut oil

l

A small handful of cashews

l

Good splash of soya sauce

l

1 lime, quartered

Serves 4

Cut broccoli into medium-sized florets and steam them lightly over boiling water so that they are partially cooked.

If you’re abandoning dairy products think about calcium intake, essential for healthy bones and teeth.

Peel and finely slice the garlic and chillies. Put them into a large frying pan over a medium heat, with the oil, and fry until starting to soften. Don’t let the garlic burn, as it will become bitter.

Add the cashews and broccoli and stir well, coating everything with oil and garlic.

Add soy sauce, cover with a lid and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Finish with a squeeze of lime.

Note: This can be turned into a more substantial dish for four people by adding two fillets of salmon.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 25

Green fingers

All rosy Don’t be put off by their high-maintenance reputation.

ITA PATTON has a brief maintenance programme for your lovely roses.

Photos: Marie Hourigan

AT THIS busy time of year, it should also be the time when you can really enjoy the full rewards of your hard gardening. A well planted garden can change in ambience throughout the day – peaceful still mornings, followed by bright vibrant afternoons and then, when evening falls, scented flowers like Stock and Nicotiana come into their own.

Unfortunately this idyllic image might be difficult to achieve with our erratic weather. This year began well from the gardeners’ point of view. January was mild with a rainfall of 65ml. An adequate rainfall is so vital in late winter-early spring as plants and trees put all their energy into leaf, stem and root production.

The following two months were unseasonably dry, especially March with only 11ml of rainfall. Remember those hot sunny days in late March, which we joked was our summer? Then the gardeners’ prayers were answered and it rained and rained in April, replenishing the soil moisture deficit of the previous two months.

Besides unpredictable rainfall, we also had to contend with fluctuating temperatures of 21c down to -5c. Many tender bedding and tomato plants were lost to frost in May. But we persevere, sowing more seeds, buying new plants, and look forward to our summer.

Our roses in the Botanic Gardens are about two weeks behind because of April and May’s cold weather. Roses can

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unfairly be labelled as high maintenance plants, but I think they are a must for any Irish garden.

The vast number of rose cultivars available can be a little daunting so, before making a final purchase, it’s advisable to visit a well established garden to observe as many roses as possible to assess their height, vigour, disease resistance, colour and fragrance. Saint Anne’s park in Raheny has a magnificent rose garden and hosts its annual rose festival on 21st and 22nd July.

New roses are best planted in autumn. Of course, rose fragrance is subjective to the sniffer and it varies with the time of day, air humidity and the age of the bloom.

The David Austen range is very popular. This collection is worth the increased price tag as it combines the charm and fragrance of the Old Roses with the remonstrant characteristic u

in the garden Rose aphids are the bane of the rose grower. They begin their attacks very early in spring (hard winters seem to have no effect on them) and can be seen in dense colonies of tiny green insects on young leaves and flower buds. Heavy infestations cause stunted growth and poor flowering and covers leaves with their sticky black excretion – Yeuk! Regular spraying with soapy water or organic sprays help to control these pests.

Roses are big feeders and will exhaust their winter-spring manuring. Sprinkle a small handful of fertiliser around each plant after mid-summer when they’re developing their second flush of blooms.

Deadheading, the practice of removing spent flowers, must be carried out throughout the flowering season. This will stimulate development of new shoots and further blooms, and also stops the plant from diverting energy into seed production.

When deadheading a single rose (like Hybrid Tea), go down the stem to the first leaf with five leaflets, preferably outward facing, and cut at a slight angle. In clusters of blooms (like Floribundas), remove the faded blooms, remove all later when they’ve all faded.

By late summer many of your roses will show signs of disease or pest problems. It’s therefore important to check your roses frequently and act quickly when you notice a problem.

Blackspot is a very common fungal disease. It appears as purple black spots followed by yellowing and leaf drop. The infected leaves should be removed and disposed of. If the

infection is very severe, you could spray your roses with a fungicide from your local garden centre.

Rust is another common fungal disease, especially in wet weather. It shows up as bright orange spore masses on the underside of the leaves.

Again remove the infected leaves and spray with fungicide.

Yes, there is a little work involved but few plants are as varied and versatile as the rose. I can’t think of any other group of plants that offers such a range of colours, shape, style and fragrance. Equally good in a formal or mixed informal setting, what plant can better epitomise the glory of the garden on a summer day? l

Jobs to do

Hedges:

In July-August trim evergreen hedges, such as privet once they start to look straggly. If the hedge needs a hard pruning, feed afterwards. More care is needed when trimming conifer hedges. Avoid cutting hard back into old wood as most conifers won’t recover.

Gaps in hedges can be remedied by driving a stake between two healthy plants and tying down branches to it, thus stimulating growth into these lowered branches and eventually filling in the gap.

Holidays:

A little planning is required before going on holidays especially if you have a vegetable patch, greenhouse or lots of potted plants. Ask a neighbour to water plants and harvest your crops and move your pots together for ease of watering. If you can’t get someone in to water, you can buy an automatic watering device for as little as €15. l

Background photo: Dreamstime.com

(repeat flowering) of the Hybrid Teas. Rosa ‘Gertrude Jekyll’, Rosa ‘Teasing Georgia’ and Rosa ‘James Galway’ are just three which I particularly enjoy at Glasnevin. However most David Austen’s require space because of their sprawling habit and some are prone to mildew attack.

Ita Patton is a craft gardener in the National Botanic Gardens. l

Work & Life: The Magazine for IMPACT Members

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Page title Travel and trips

Ship shape and Bristol fashion BERNARD HARBOR engineered a great weekend away in one of England’s most vibrant cities, then chilled out in posh Clifton.

IN EARLIER life, Bristol Temple Meads railway station was just the place where you met your mates before getting the bus to the Glastonbury festival. But on my last few visits I’ve managed to venture a little further into the city. And it turns out to be quite a find.

The largest city in England’s south west has been a maritime centre since the fifteenth century and some speculate that Bristol sailors landed in America before Christopher Columbus. By the mid-eighteenth century the place was England's second biggest city, growing rich on slavery and related trade in tobacco, sugar, rum and cocoa.

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Formerly home to Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Bristol is also one of a few tourist destinations to really make a feature of its very strong engineering history. The British bits of Concorde were designed and built in nearby Filton, also home to Rolls Royce. But it’s around the harbour side, where wall plaques celebrate Bristol’s great engineers, that you’ll find some of the city’s most impressive engineering attractions including Brunel’s SS Great Britain and, indeed, the harbour itself.

Back in the day, fluctuations of 30 feet between high and low tide left ships stranded in the mud as the tide went out; inconvenient and expensive, because boats had to be literally ‘ship shape and Bristol fashion’ to take the strain. With Liverpool providing stiff commercial competition, a massive engineering project resolved the problem with dams, locks and river re-routing to create today’s ‘floating harbour,’ which opened in 1809.

Renowned A century later, future trade union leader and foreign minister Ernest Bevin started work as a carter in the busy working docks, which have long since relocated. Today, most of its former workshops and warehouses are converted into galleries, museums, bars, nightclubs and exhibition centres. ‰

The internationally-renowned Arnolfini contemporary arts centre is a must-see, while the Watershed, Britain's first media centre, mixes film, music, theatre, design, visual art, and technology.

Meanwhile, M Shed’s three galleries tell Bristol’s history from prehistoric times, while Brunel’s SS Great Britain, the world’s first iron-hulled and propeller-driven ocean liner, is now a museum ship.

If you’re not feeling that energetic, try a ride on the Bristol Harbour Railway or look in from the outside on one of the many boat tours, long and short, available.

Beautiful sunshine on my last visit created perfect quayside conditions for lunchtime people-watching and mooching round the Saturday market. Former Brit Award winner Finley Quaye featured in a free concert later that evening.

Parts of the city centre echo the charm and vibrancy of the harbour side, and there are plenty of high street and designer outlets for the determined shopper, including in the threetiered Cabot Circus. But if high streets ain’t your thing, you’re better off heading up to Clifton village, less than ten minutes in a taxi or about 20 minutes hilly walk from the centre.

Gem Clifton’s big tourist attraction is the Brunel-designed Clifton suspension bridge, which spans the river Avon gorge. And it really is impressive. Started in 1831, work was halted when the money ran out. Brunel died before the project resumed, but it was opened as a memorial to him in 1864. It costs 50p to take a car over, but it’s free to pedestrians and cyclists.

The Avon gorge is home to three of England’s top botanical sites and I enjoyed a summer’s walk around the Clifton down which, 2,000 years ago, was home to a Celtic Iron Age fort.

But it’s Clifton village itself, with its boutiques, brasseries and bars, that’s the city’s real hidden gem.

This is a relaxed place to walk around and it’s also recommended for a different type of shopping experience – from antique to boutique. I found perhaps the best-stocked Oxfam

bookshop I’ve ever come across; probably a spin-off of the nearby university student halls and the fact that this place is, well, posh. If you don’t believe me, take a stroll down Royal York Crescent, a classic example of Georgian architecture, completed in 1820, which competes with Bath’s more-famous Royal Crescent about 12 miles away.

Food and drink There are plenty of good places to eat in Clifton, the harbour side and the city centre, although parts of the centre can get a bit messy on weekend evenings. Clifton’s Fishers seafood restaurant (35 Princess Victoria Street) is excellent but a bit pricey. You won’t beat the Thali Café (1 Regent’s Street) for value or quality.

Nearer the centre, Sergio’s Italian (take the steps down from Park Street to Frogmore Street) also serves great food at reasonable prices. Be sure to book as it gets busy. Bristol is strangely short of decent boozers. The Eldon House, slightly off the beaten track on Lower Clifton Hill, is recommended for Bath Ales, occasional music and large portions of good grub.

You can fly direct with Aer Lingus from Dublin, Cork or Shannon, but it’s worth booking early as limited seats means higher prices if you leave it late. Hotels also reward early booking and can be expensive. I stayed at Clifton House bed and breakfast on my last visit; close to Clifton, perfectly good, and about half the price of a city centre hotel that weekend l

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 29

Photos: dreamstime.com

Beautiful sunshine created perfect quayside conditions for lunchtime peoplewatching and mooching round the Saturday market. Former Brit Award winner Finley Quaye featured in a free concert later that evening.

Be good to yourself

Love yourself KAREN WARD says small steps and good daily practice can help us maintain a healthy heart.

Once you know how your heart health is, what can you to do improve it and maintain it? We all know about exercise, healthy eating and destressing. But there are also some lesser known holistic tips – like letting go and loving – that will also give you the inside track on holistic heart health.

SMALL STEPS in the right direction and daily practice can help us maintain a healthy heart without too much effort. Start with assessing your heart health. Is there a history of heart disease in the family? When was the last time you had a check up with your doctor? Get into the habit of regular visits by going when you bring car for its NCT.

The key to a good exercise regime is to do something you like.

Keep it regular and – most importantly – manageable. Physical activity and fitness is going to mean changing habits, so you have to be motivated enough to get up off the sofa to do the chosen exercise.

Try to factor regular exercise times into your current weekly schedule, so you can easily maintain it. Take out your diary or phone organiser and see which times suit best, and pick an activity you like so you’re more inclined to keep it up.

The plethora of aerobic dance classes sweeping the country is a great way to exercise, socialise and have fun. Any physical activity that can be done with a friend or partner adds the ‘buddy effect,’ motivating each other and looking forward to a good chat before or after the exercise.

Find a local class from your nearest health food shop or supermarket notice board. The Golden Pages and internet are good sources for gyms and local clubs in your area.

Food for thought

Photos: Dreamstime.com

Photo: Dreamstime.com

Avoid fatty foods, especially fries, to prevent clogged u

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for a happy heart Drink the equivalent of a litre of water a day to detox naturally.

This could be five mugs of herbal tea or three small bottles of still water, which you can refill.

Try not to eat on the go. It upsets your digestive system and causes bloating. Sit down and eat slowly. It helps to put your knife and fork down between each bite. Look at the food. Smell and savour it, then slowly taste it so that your body has time to tell you when it’s full. If you eat healthily five days a week then you’ll have the weekend for two treat meals.

Stress out You know when your head feels fit to burst with worries and problems whirring around, giving you no peace. It can leave your body feeling drained and your nerves in tatters. An allengrossing hobby or interest will relieve mental stress. Anything you love, which leaves you feeling relaxed and refreshed, will do. Watching a film or reading a book is a great escapism. Your worries are eased for an hour or two as you get caught up in the story line.

Meditation is another excellent time-out routine that calms the body and heart. It’s easy to do. Simply focus your mind on one thing to the exclusion of all else. Lie or sit with your eyes closed and listen to your breathing for five minutes. Every time a thought pops into your head – which it will – let it drift away and return to the sound of your breath. You can use a relaxation tape or your favourite music to help.

something is wrong, and to help us to grow. Don’t be afraid to experience your emotions, both good and bad.

We often hold our emotions in, keeping ‘a stiff upper lip’ or the ‘show on the road,’ so to speak. This will keep the family routine ticking over but at what price? Your friends or colleagues will understand if you let them know that you aren’t feeling great, that you know a little time-out will help, and that you’ll be okay again soon.

We associate our hearts with love and, while many of us give love out freely, we may not be as good at receiving it. This can mean that we look after everyone else, leaving ourselves last or forgetting about ourselves completely. Self care is hugely important. We need to love ourselves as much as we love others.

Only do as much as you realistically can every day. Delegate and let others prepare the report, meeting or dinner for a change. Love others, yourself and your heart everyday by being the best you can be. l

Emotions The best way to keep ourselves emotionally sound is to realise that our emotions are there for a reason – to release tension and feelings, to indicate that

Holistic therapist KAREN WARD presents RTE’S Health Squad and is the author of Change a Little to Change a Lot. Visit www.karenwardholistictherapist.com

Work & Life: The Magazine for IMPACT Members

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Photos: Dreamstime.com

arteries. A good breakfast will fuel your body for the day. Low cost porridge lowers blood pressure and cholesterol. An easy way to get your five daily portions of fruit and veg is to drink a glass of juice at breakfast, eat a piece of fruit mid-morning and afternoon, and have salad or vegetables with lunch and dinner.

At the movies

Image: dreamstime.com

WE ALL have some enduring memories of going to the cinema: a particular film or perhaps some quaint feature of the cinema itself. I remember being on a family holiday as a child and being taken to the Savoy in Dublin to see Back to the Future Part III. While I recall enjoying the film, it was the experience of place itself, its vast and exotic character, that left its imprint.

The lure of the cinema MORGAN O’BRIEN says the enduring magic of the cinema will keep people coming back.

The proliferation of digital TV channels, downloading and streaming means the range of home entertainment options has become exponentially larger, raising the possibility of people watching movies at home rather than at the cinema. But admissions figures for Irish cinemas have remained relatively consistent for the past decade indicating the resilient charm of the cinema experience.

In the face of technological developments like Netflix, which offer the greater convenience of watching movies at home in our time, we still appear to want to have the communal ‰

Show time Killer Joe (29th June) William Friedkin directs this dark thriller, which features Matthew McConnaughey playing against type as a sadistic hit man hired by a young man to kill his mother so he can collect on the insurance.

The Amazing Spider-Man (6th July) A reboot of the franchise that stars Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker, who’s transformed into SpiderMan when trying to uncover the mystery of his parents’ disappearance.

The ensemble cast features Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy and Rhyss Ifans as Dr Curt Connors.

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Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (13th July) In the face an impending meteor shower that threatens to destroy planet Earth, a man goes on a roadtrip to find his high school girlfriend. The unusual pairing of Steve Carell and Keira Knightley star.

The Dark Knight Rises (20th July) The final instalment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman series is set eight years after the death of Harvey Dent, with Batman pitted against Bane who plans to destroy the city. Christian Bale is joined by Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

experience that cinema offers. Consider similarly the music industry, where in the context of falling singles and albums sales, live gigs remain robust.

So what is it about the cinema experience that still beguiles and enchants us?

Film critic Mark Kermode says a cinema is a key characteristic for a community, facilitating a participatory experience that provides people with a shared cultural heritage. Watching a DVD or a download, on the other hand, could be cynically viewed as allowing us to be part of nothing.

Going to the cinema implies an investment of time and a commitment that differs from just sitting at home. It’s an action of a greater intent to escape daily issues and immerse oneself in the experience. This gives the act of going to the cinema a more determined quality that marks it out as an event.

Unfortunately, some of the magic of the cinema is being eroded by the multiplex experience, which defines going to the movies as a convenient recreational activity rather than an aesthetic or cultural one. For the majority of us the most accessible cinemas are multiplexes, which actually limit choice by showing fewer films across more screens.

But discerning audiences are increasingly seeking alternatives, with cinemas devoting progressively more room to

Dr Seuss: The Lorax (27th July) Dr Seuss’ material never has an easy transition to the big screen. This animated version, by the same team that made 2008’s Horton Hears a Who! features the voices of Zac Efron, Taylor Swift and Danny DeVito.

Ted (3rd August) First feature film from Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane stars Mark Wahlberg as John, a man whose childhood wish for his teddy bear to come alive comes true. But Ted’s vulgar lifestyle stands in the way of John’s efforts to grow up.

The Wedding Video (10th August) Following his success with Made in Dagenham (2010), Nigel Cole directs this story of a best man who presents a wedding video to his brother and sister-in-law, which reveals more about the event than they had bargained for.

“Admissions figures for Irish cinemas have remained relatively consistent for the past decade, indicating the resilient charm of the cinema experience.” independent or niche films. Aside from the obvious examples of the IFI, the Lighthouse and the Screen in Dublin, my own local authority has developed an ongoing season of independent and arthouse films.

Equally, local arts centres have demonstrated a willingness to engage audiences with special screenings and events.

There remain few simpler pleasures than sitting in the cinema.

I remember the visceral thrill of seeing Reservoir Dogs on its release in an inexplicably empty local cinema as well as sharing in the beauty of Pan’s Labyrinth in a packed screening in the IFI. Most recently, this magic was evoked in Martin Scorsese’s Oscar winning Hugo, which is at its core a paean to the enchanting and fascinating nature of the cinema.

There is an abiding allure to the cinema experience. Picking out your favourite seat, waiting for the lights to fade and, on a good night, being amazed, entertained and moved to different emotional states. It’s a place to share an experience where dreams and wonders are revealed l

The Bourne Legacy (17th August) Confusingly Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne does not feature. Instead Jeremy Renner is Aaron Cross a CIA agent on the run after being deemed a liability. A strong support cast features Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Joan Allen and Albert Finney.

Shadow Dancer (24th August) A drama set in Belfast in the 1990s about an IRA informer for MI5. The strong cast includes Clive Owen, Gillian Anderson, Aidan Gillen and Andrea Riseborough.

Total Recall (31st August) Colin Farrell assumes the mantel of Arnold Schwarzenegger in this reworking of the 1990 original.

Based on a Philip K Dick’s short story about a factory worker whose dreams reveal that he may be a spy.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 33

Photo: sportsfile.com

Play it loud

Chests out lads RAYMOND CONNOLLY noticed a seriously emotional musical vibe at Euro 2102.

THE FERVOUR with which sports stars belt out their national anthems in a gushing surge of passion has upped a notch in recent years. Most players launch themselves into an emotion-filled opening of the vocal chords, while those who don’t sing carry an expression that suggests they’ve just been caught by the Stasi hanging around the Berlin wall. But the chest-clutching patriotic pridefest disguises a huge diversity in the quality of the tunes on offer.

While a World Cup tournament showcases some seriously eclectic and downright groovy anthems, it must be acknowledged that Europe also has much to offer. And, consistent with the eternal class of their kit, the Italians top the pile with Fratelli d’Italia, a wonderful tune.

There’s an urban myth that Mussolini chose the piece as the Italian calling card, presumably while taking a break from forcing dissenters to eat live toads as they “reconsidered their political views.” But Benito had more of a nose for making trains run on time than an ear for a great tune.

Russia can be proud of its entry too. In a return to tradition, Comrade Putin re-adopted the old Soviet tune. The growling bear swept aside Yeltsin’s happy-clappy ditty with an Iron 34

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broom. Apparently on the grounds that Russian athletes were less successful following the Boris’s musical intervention. So it was nothing to do with more advanced substance detection.

Our own offering is a curious case. I’ve often felt the lump in the throat mid-Amhrán na bhFiann at Croke Park. But as a tune, it’s gank. Robbie Keane tries manfully to sing it to a totally different tune, but that hasn’t really worked either.

After an earlier Fine Gael-Labour coalition got into Government, I remember asking my dad would “Sinne Fianna Fail” need to be changed to “Sinne Fine Gael.” His response was: “No son, because Labour are involved too. There would be too many words to fit in.” I went back to my rocking horse, but still have nightmares imagining the choral chaos if the technical group ever gets into government.

I went back to my rocking horse, but still have nightmares imagining the choral chaos if the technical group ever gets into government.

It’s also worth noting that, footballwise, Eng-Er-Land is anthemless, leaving God Save The King/Queen as the sole property of world leaders Liechtenstein. There was a push to have Jerusalem established as the English anthem. A little too far to the east guys. Try London Calling.

Rock’s robberies NEW ROCK-POP fad The Black Keys have lifted 1973 glam rock directly into their arsenal. But borrowing serious amounts from past influences is no new thing. The generally highlyacclaimed (though not by this column) Led Zeppelin borrowed almost everything, but were highly adept at providing the camouflage that made it seem different. The entire postpsychedelic Status Quo catalogue was robbed from Chuck Berry’s solitary (albeit fantastic) song, although the feds are still rounding up accomplices and Mr Jagger has been taken in for questioning.

Influence is one thing, but plagiarism is altogether more serious.

Even the legendary Bob Marley may stand accused, with parts of Buffalo Soldier drawing rather too heavily on the Banana Splits theme for my liking. Genius maybe, but plagiarism nonetheless. Tra-la-la.

Incorporating a touch of class, Radiohead cleverly included Albert Hammond and Mike Hazelwood of the Hollies as contributors when they realised that the chorus of their early hit Creep was actually the verse of The Air That I Breathe.

But take care, pop-pickers. The tune robbing versus incidental similarity debate can really push you close to the edge.

Aside from the fact that the second movement of Mozart’s 40th is a rip off of Molly Malone (or is it the other way round?)

you can easily find yourself humming on the bus while pondering whether Britney Spears Oops I Did It Again and Barbara Streisand’s Woman In Love are the same song. Or Abba’s Waterloo and the Foundations’ Build Me Up Buttercup.

Even the ridiculously gifted Glen Campbell was at it. I know the Beach Boys developed Sloop John B from a traditional Bahamian folk song, but Glen fairly pick-pocketed it for the verse in Rhinestone Cowboy. And the Smiths’ Panic is definitely T.Rex tune Metal Guru. Warning: Do not play this game if you fear deterioration of your mental wellbeing.

Counter revolution A BLOKE I know edits magazines and lives in constant hope that, with radio playlists and music sales largely controlled by the likes of Simon Cowell, we could be poised for a revolution á la punk. The result of too many jubilee nostalgia programmes? Or is it over to you, Youth of Today?

It all seems a bit ‘reclaim the streets’ to me. The fact that the whole landscape for assessing and selecting music has dramatically changed, and that chart music is now a minority sport, sees off the possibility of a 1976-style meeting of minds among the younger generation.

My advice to anyone holding out for the punk revolution? Stick to Top of the Pops 2, have a nice glass of red, and eagerly await the launch of the new Ford Capri.

Summer/ Autumn 2012 solutions (From page 46.)

9 2 7 6 8 4 5 3 1

4 1 3 2 7 5 9 6 8

6 5 8 3 9 1 2 7 4

8 6 2 1 3 7 4 9 5

3 9 4 5 2 6 1 8 7

1 7 5 8 4 9 6 2 3

5 3 1 7 6 2 8 4 9

7 4 6 9 1 8 3 5 2

Soduko easy solution

2 8 9 4 5 3 7 1 6

2 6 1 5 7 3 8 9 4

8 3 5 1 9 4 2 6 7

4 7 9 6 8 2 3 5 1

9 2 3 7 5 1 4 8 6

5 4 6 9 2 8 7 1 3

1 8 7 3 4 6 5 2 9

6 1 4 8 3 5 9 7 2

7 5 2 4 6 9 1 3 8

3 9 8 2 1 7 6 4 5

Soduko difficult solution

Summer 2012 Crossword Solutions See page 46 for the competition winners from Issue 17.

ACROSS: 1. Music 5. Antic 8. Applaud 9. Fined 10. Delve 11. Gadwall 14. Issue 17.

Egypt 20A/15D Railway Station 21. Etna 22. Deer 23. Validated 24. Kenell 27. Beats 30. Aerosol 32. Optic 33. Abode 34. Elation 35. Knead 36. Deter DOWN: 1. Mufti 2.

Sands 3. Cadge 4. Flaw 5. Addle 6. Tally 7. Cheat 12. Declaimer 13. Asparagus 15D/20A Railway Station 16. Unravel 18. Griddle 19. Pageant 24. Knock 25. Estre 26.

Laced 27. Bland 28. Abode 29. Sneer 31. Opts

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 35

From the author

Back on top Things have certainly turned around for second time novelist Siobhán McKenna, who spoke to MARTINA O'LEARY. “I WASN’T sure what do. I’d always wanted to write a book, but life always got in the way. When I had no work, I had no excuse. But it’s very hard to get published.” Turning 40. Divorced. Jobless after 20 years in the rag trade. Waiting to hear from publishers. Siobhán McKenna’s luck was about to change.

In 2011, she entered a TV3 ‘write a bestseller’ competition and won a three-book deal with Poolbeg Press. Her first novel The Lingerie Designer was subsequently shortlisted for best newcomer in the Irish Book Awards.

“It was unbelievable. I went from one extreme to the other overnight. From not seeing a soul for days, to TV cameras on your doorstep and the book awards,” she said.

Her insider knowledge of the clothing industry and business travel were a big help when writing that first novel. Her latest tome, The Other Woman, blends wine, chocolate and passion as it tells the story of two family businesses – one Irish, one Italian – merging. The book delves into a web of lies, family feuds and friendship.

Siobhán’s rule is to write about what you know. “My other half is Italian and runs a local coffee shop and the novel evolved from there. I also have a great interest in travel, but not your tourist travel. One character in The Other Woman goes to Italy, while another goes to Kenya and falls for a Masai warrior,” she says.

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Siobhán is extremely disciplined in her writing. “I treat it like a job. I was just about to turn 40, I was unemployed, I wasn’t qualified to do anything else and I was single. It took five years to find my feet, but on my 45th birthday my book was on the shelf in Easons.”

She says her experience shows people can get back on their feet even if bad things happen to them. “When I decided it was what I really wanted to do, I could work from 10-15 hours a day. There is light at the end of the tunnel. It just goes to show, you can come out the other end,” she says l

Win a copy Poolbeg Press has given us three copies of The Other Woman to give away. To be in with a chance to win, answer the question below and send your entry to Roisin Nolan, Poolbeg Competition, IMPACT, Nerney’s Court, Dublin 1. Entries must reach us by Friday 21st September 2012.

What nationalities are the two families in The Other Woman?

Book reviews

Sibling troubles

Tiny science

THE WEIRD SISTERS

MICRO

Eleanor Brown (Harper, £7.99 in the UK)

Michael Crichton and Richard Preston (Harper, €7.99 in the UK)

JUST WHEN you think you could not read another book about ‘three very different sisters’ (or friends etc) along comes a book which sets a new standard for novels about the lives of modern women.

The Andreas sisters are from Barnwell, a small town in the US. Their father is a professor of English literature at Barnwell College, where he specialises in the works of Shakespeare. The sisters are brought up in a home steeped in books and all the important events in their lives are conveyed to each other by Shakespearian quotes. Even their names, Rosalind, Bianca and Cordelia reflect their parent’s obsession with the works of the Bard.

The three have long left home when the book opens, Rosalind about to be married, Cordelia drifting on the hippie trail, and Bianca living her own dream in New York City. When their mother becomes ill with cancer, the three women return to their home, ostensibly to support but, as the narrator says at the outset, ‘we came home because we were failures’.

MICHAEL CRICHTON is the man who gave the world ER, and for those fifteen years of triage, tragedy, and goodlooking doctors I will always be grateful.

Crichton was in the middle of writing this book at the time of his death in 2008 and Richard Preston, another science-scare writer, was selected to finish the work. With all due respect to both men, it may have been a mistake.

It’s extremely difficult, not to say impossible, to read this book without thinking of the movie Honey, I Shrunk The Kids. While I’m sure the special effects in the inevitable movie this particular book will spawn will far surpass the clunky creatures faced by those kids, that’s basically your plot right there.

Well okay, it’s a little bit different. Seven scientist graduates, are visiting the headquarters of Nanigen on a recruitment trip, when one of them becomes aware of a crime committed by Vin Drake, head of the company, and makes the mistake of revealing his hand too soon.

Rose’s fiancé is offered a wonderful position in Oxford, Cordy is pregnant and Bean has been sacked from her New York law firm. Each one is keeping her own secret and trying to work out where to go from here, from the familiar safety of their childhood home.

Now, Nanigen, as it happens, has made quantum leaps in nano-technology and claims to be able to shrink full-size machines to the size of a moth using magnetic rays. More worryingly, they can shrink people too! So, you can see where this is going.

This is fine writing, there are no laboured explanations or descriptions, every sentence counts. A single piece of dialogue, thought or action can illuminate the very different personalities of the sisters or the peripheral characters such as Jonathan, Roses fiance. The irritability which results from three women under the same roof is tangible, and the ravages of their mother’s breast cancer is sensitively and compassionately depicted.

The seven are shrunk to the size of a SIM card, and are fighting for their lives in the Hawaiian rainforest. They are pursued, of course, by a pair of shrunken goons sent by Drake. But the real threat comes from the flora and fauna, which is described in great detail.

Often good writing and an easy read are mutually exclusive, but this deserves a place in the holiday reading of even discerning bookworms.

Kathryn Smith

While the breadth of knowledge of the natural world and it’s inhabitants displayed by both authors is impressive (and a little wearing) there are gaping holes in the plot. One of the main characters is dropped in a clumsy shift of emphasis half-way through, and it becomes obvious that this is a first or second draft of a story that hasn’t had all the knots taken out of it.

Margaret Hannigan

Murder - Elizabethan style SACRILEGE

SJ Parria (Harper Collins, £9.99 in the UK)

SACRILEGE TAKES us back to the sixteenth century during the Protestant reign of Queen Elizabeth 1. She was under constant danger from a Catholic resurgence and had a loyal secret service who informed her of any plots against herself or her Church.

Giordana Bruno is an educated, Italian ex-monk who works for Walsingham, Elizabeth’s trusted spy-master. When Bruno realizes he is being followed, he discovers the stalker is Sophia, a girl he once loved.

She is being sought for the murder of her cruel husband in Canterbury. Sophia wants Bruno to help her clear her name

and so avoid death by burning.

Walsingham suspects that church members in Canterbury are plotting against the Protestant church, so he wants Bruno to discover what he can while he is there.

No sooner has Bruno arrived when there is a second murder, for which he is the chief suspect. The chopped up body of a young boy has been discovered on a dump and another young continues on page 38 ‰ WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 37

More book reviews boy is missing. What is the connection between a murdered apothecary, the local doctor and some of the most important church members in Canterbury? And where do the relics of St Thomas Becket and the children fit into all of this?

The more Bruno finds out the more tangled the web becomes and he has only a few days to unravel it before the assizes when Sophia will be tried for murder.

In many ways this is a good old-fashioned thriller, although at times the narrative flow suffers by yet another twist. While there is a historical context to the story, the language is modern. At one point I found myself urging Bruno to test a bloodied glove for DNA samples. But it’s an enjoyable way to brush up on your history of Elizabethan England.

Kathryn Smith

Kidnap THE MEADOW – KASHMIR 1995 – WHERE THE TERROR BEGAN By Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark (Harper Press, £16.99 in the UK) IN JULY 1995, four Western backpackers were kidnapped by Kashmiri militants, and held as hostages pending the release of Islamic insurgents from an Indian jail.

Despite widespread media coverage, and the efforts of various authorities including the FBI and Scotland Yard, it was not possible to secure the safe release of the men. Hans Christian Ostroe was beheaded, and his body abandoned in a forest clearing, while no trace of the others has ever been found.

As well as presenting a detailed analysis of this particular case, the authors argue that the Kashmiri hostage crisis was effectively the opening shot in the global terror war. Protégés

of Masood have bombed London, assassinated President Musharraf of Pakistan, killed hundreds with suicide bombs, and attempted to smuggle explosives aboard airplanes.

Masood himself was released in 2000, when his brother hijacked an Air India jet, holding all the passengers and crew hostage until his demands were met. He continues his incitement to jihad via various blogs and Youtube videos, but it was in the mountains of Kashmir, in 1995 that he and his followers first made their mark.

Margaret Hannigan

GAELTACHT

Scholarship awards 2012 590 IMPACT members applied for a grant towards their child’s trip to the Gaeltacht this summer and a draw was held by IMPACT’s membership services committee. These are the lucky 80 members who have each received a scholarship award of €150.

Jean Aherne (Limerick Health), Maria Allen (Sligo), Patrick Beirne (Municipal Employees), Angela Brady (Longford), Carol Brady (Dublin Hospitals), Michael Byrne (Architectural Engineering & Heritage Services), Sarah Cassidy (Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown), Melanie Clarke (Dublin Hospitals), Seamus Cleary (Tipperary South), Colette Coakley (Clare), Eugene Condon (Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown), Geraldine Connolly (Donegal), Joseph Cosgrove (Meath), Geraldine Costello (Galway), Grainne Costello (Mayo), Jan Cullen (Wexford), Mary Culliney (Clare), Eileen Curley (Institutes of Technology), Carmel Deloughery (VEC), Mary Dineen (Kerry), Peter Donaldson (Municipal Employees), Sarah Dowling (Kerry), Jane Downey (Waterford County), Fiona Duffy (Wicklow Health), Marian Durand (Louth), Orla Durand (Tipperary South), Kathleen Eccles Garry (Dublin North HSE), Jean Errity (State Enterprises No. 1), Ann Faracli (Donegal), Agnes Feely (Clare), Garry Flanagan (Agriculture No. 1), Oral Fogarty (Offaly), Bridie Gallagher (Mayo), Josephine Gallagher (Sligo), Noeline Gallagher (Donegal), Mary Gavin (Mayo), Jacqueline Gibbons (Leitrim), Don Gibney (Westmeath), Paula Gormley (SENO), Pamela Hallahan (Special Needs Assistants), Irene Harris (Louth), Paul Hayden (Meath), Breda Healy (Meath), Brendan Healy (Dublin South HSE), Walter Hughes (Mayo), Claire Kavanagh (Dublin Hospitals), Goretti Keaney (Sligo), Sheila Kelly (Meath), Anne Kennedy (Mayo), Anne Kennedy (Meath), Olive Keyes (Offaly), Patricia Kieran (Louth), Claire Killian (Dublin Care Services), Jean Kirwan (Waterford County), Mary Long (Wexford), Majella Lowe (Health & Safety Authority), Dawn Lynch (Kildare), Cathriona MacCarthy (Roscommon), Frances Maher (Laois), Maura Mahony (Dublin Hospitals), Eileen Malone (Offaly), Petra Matthey (Cabin Crew), Oliver McGlinchey (Community Employment Supervisors), Andrew McGloin (Air Traffic Controllers), Lorraine McKee (Longford), Fran McLoughlin (Municipal Employees), Anna May Merrins (Teagasc General), Syl Merrins (Kildare), Henry Morrin (South Dublin Co. Co.), Michael Mulcahy (Longford), Damian Mullarkey (Galway), Katriona Mulpeter (Louth), Yvonne Murphy (Kerry), Liz Newport (Tipperary South), Margaret O’Brien (Tipperary South), Marie O’Brien (Dublin Hospitals), Dolores O’Carroll (Cork), Jesper Petersen (Coillte), Ann Rogers (Kerry), Sheila Shankey-Smith (Property Registration), Mairead Shanley (Leitrim), John Soden (Agriculture No.1), Christopher Thomas, (Property Registration) and Angela Walsh (VEC).

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Union business

THE CROKE Park agreement delivered almost €1.5 billion in recurring annual savings in its first two years. The second annual report of the Croke Park national implementation body, published in June, identified a total of almost €900 million in annualised payroll and non-pay savings in the second year of the four-year agreement. This is in addition to savings of almost €600 million in the first year.

IMPACT general secretary Shay Cody said it was now impossible for critics to argue with any credibility that the agreement was not delivering. “€1.5 billion of recurring savings is a substantial contribution by public servants, who have also suffered an average 14% pay cut since 2009. Today’s report shows we’re ahead of Government and troika targets on public sector staffing and payroll savings,” he said.

But he warned there was no room for complacency over public service reform. “We are on target to reduce the public service pay bill by €3.3 billion a year. But it has not been easy and it will not get easier, not least because the economic challenges facing Ireland are not abating and could well worsen. As well as delivering savings and reforms, the agreement’s staff protections have also been effective, so workers should not fear the report’s call for accelerated delivery of reforms.”

IMPACT also called for a more flexible approach to the public service recruitment moratorium to ensure that key services are prioritised and maintained as the public service pay bill continues to fall. “We need to address and resolve fears about service quality and continuity,” said Cody.

In its report, the implementation body said the annual public service pay bill was expected to fall by €3.3 billion, after allowing for increased pension costs, between 2009 and 2015.

But it called for reforms to be accelerated.

Photos: Domnick Walsh

Croke Park saves €1.5bn Taoiseach lauds public servants ENDA KENNY has paid tribute to Ireland’s public servants, saying they are “motivated by a desire to serve their communities and their fellow citizens.” Speaking at IMPACT’s conference in May, the Taoiseach said quality public services had “a profound influence on the lives of each and every person.”

He also acknowledged the reforms being delivered under the Croke Park agreement. “Croke Park is delivering increased productivity. I want to acknowledge the contribution of the public service who have continued to deliver quality public services with fewer resources,” he said.

IMPACT general secretary Shay Cody called on the Taoiseach to establish a forum where employers, unions and Government could address workplace issues like the implementation of EU employment legislation, whistleblower protections, collective bargaining and pay.

He acknowledged that there was no appetite in Government for a return to social partnership, but said its collapse had created a vacuum, with no official forum for unions, management and Government to address important workplace issues of common interest.

An Taoiseach said the “door of Government” was open to engagement with unions and others.

Rights won’t wait for 1913 event IMPACT PRESIDENT Kevin O’Malley has demanded new laws to bring Irish collective bargaining rights up to international standards before next year’s centenary of the 1913 Dublin lockout.

Opening the union’s biennial conference in Killarney in May, he said it was “a national embarrassment” that shortcomings in Irish collective bargaining rights were recently criticised at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

workers’ rights to be represented by unions, including through collective bargaining. “It is unthinkable that we would mark the centenary of that dispute, which helped change the course of Irish history, before the Government honours its commitment and brings Irish rights in line with international standards and rulings,” he said

“The Government keeps saying it will put this right. It’s in the Programme for Government. They’ve repeated the commitment in the Dáil. They’ve repeated it at the UN. Now they need to get on with it and give it the priority it demands,” he said.

Kevin said Irish collective bargaining rights were “seriously out of line” with European legal judgements and labour protections in most developed nations. He called for a legal right for workers to join unions and be represented by them.

He also demanded that victimisation for joining a union be outlawed, with safeguards against inducements designed to stop workers joining or being represented by a union.

Kevin, who was re-elected as IMPACT president at the conference, said the central issue in the 1913 lockout was

Over 600 delegates representing most of the union’s branches attended the conference.

Work & Life: The Magazine for IMPACT Members

39

Union business IN SHORT

Post-HSE failure

New website live

IMPACT HAS cautioned health minister James Reilly that postHSE plans to introduce universal health insurance and trust-run hospital clusters could become expensive failures if lessons from abroad are ignored.

IMPACT’S NEW website, which went live in June, is fresher and easier to navigate. All pages on the site are open to everyone while we continue to import data from the old site.

In the meantime, we welcome your feedback on the look and content of the new site. Go to www.impact.ie.

ICTU jobs plan THE IRISH Congress of Trade Unions has outlined proposals for a major new investment programme that could create up to 100,000 jobs and significantly boost economic recovery. The programme proposes an investment of over €3 billion a year over the next three years through funding sources that would not increase state debt.

Sick showdown PUBLIC SERVICE management has finally outlined proposals for changes to public service sick leave arrangements. IMPACT rejected the proposals and made clear that its priority was to protect sick pay for staff with serious long-term illnesses, and to maintain a facility for uncertified short-term sick leave. The Labour Court is expected to make a binding ruling during the summer.

Fair PMDS call IMPACT has expressed opposition to proposed changes to the civil service performance management and development system (PMDS), which would mean a fixed percentage of staff receiving poor performance ratings and forgoing increments as a result. Talks are still underway on the issue.

Responding to the minister’s speech at an IMPACT symposium on the future of Irish health services in June, IMPACT official Louise O’Donnell said the Dutch model of universal health insurance, which the Government favours, has created a “three-tier system.” Almost half a million Dutch people are uninsured or defaulting on insurance payments, while the wealthy can supplement compulsory cover with extra private insurance.

Louise said the system had increased bureaucracy and that more than half of Dutch hospitals, which depend on funding from universal health insurance, faced bankruptcy last year. Others had closed.

Meanwhile, the cost of health insurance in Holland has risen steeply since the compulsory system was introduced in 2006.

The symposium kicked off a consultation and research process which will result in a new IMPACT policy on health service reform later this year.

Other speakers included Christina McAnea from UK union Unison, who warned that hospital trusts could lead to privatisation and poorer services.

New education division IMPACT HAS established a new education division in an ambitious push to increase its influence in education debates and policy-making. The move reflects significant growth in the union’s education membership, which now totals almost 9,000.

The union has seen huge membership growth among special needs assistants while school secretaries and staff in VECs, institutes of technology and the school completion programme have also joined the union in significant numbers over the last five years. These branches were previously part of the union’s Local Government, Education and Local Services division. Its cathoirleach Jerry King told Impact IMPACT’s recent conference that the new division had the potential to be the “second biggest player in education” after the largest teaching union, the INTO. Find out more at www.impact.ie.

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Water privatisation fears A EUROPE-WIDE ‘right to water’ petition campaign was launched at the IMPACT biennial delegate conference in June. The initiative was recently accepted under the EU’s European Citizen Initiative (ECI), a new legal tool introduced as part of the Nice Treaty, which forces European institutions to consider issues that win the necessary public support.

IMPACT’s Peter Nolan questioned the Government’s funding and charging assumptions. “Water is a human right and you don’t have to be suspicious of the Government’s intentions to see the obvious risk inherent in its plans. Once Irish Water is established, with an income stream from water charges, the temptation to privatise would be immense,” he said.

The ‘right to water’ campaign calls on the European Commission to recognise water as a human right and ensure that water and sanitation assets remain in public control.

Photo: Domnick Walsh.

The launch came amid fears that the establishment of a new national water authority called Irish Water could eventually lead to the privatisation of Ireland’s water and drainage services.

Delegates at the IMPACT conference expressed strong opposition to water privatisation and unanimously backed motions calling for Irish Water to remain in public ownership.

Despite Government assurances that it intends Irish Water to remain in public hands, unions believe plans to rationalise water assets in a single organisation will make future privatisation more likely, particularly once water charges trigger a lucrative income stream.

Delegates at IMPACT conference in May.

Union outsourcing pledge IMPACT AND other unions will insist that detailed safeguards and procedures set out in the Croke Park agreement are followed whenever outsourcing is proposed. And concerns about jobs and public service quality will dictate union reactions to any new public service outsourcing proposals.

The Croke Park agreement is unambiguous on how outsourcing proposals should be treated. And attitudes have hardened since it was signed following the privatisation of domestic refuse services in Dublin councils. IMPACT has told TDs and senators that union warnings of service breakdowns, job losses, increases in domestic charges, public health issues, and the abandonment of waivers for low income families were ignored.

The issue re-emerged following the leak of a letter from Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to civil service departmental heads, which urged them to list possible outsourcing “options.”

The letter noted that the Croke Park agreement contains provisions “that should be followed when management decides to involve a private sector entity in the provision of a new or existing public service.” But IMPACT says this seriously understates the rigour of the provisions in the agreement Historically there has always been a mix of public, voluntary and private provision in the delivery of Irish public services and few, if any, Irish unions have taken a position of blanket opposition to private provision. Similarly, unions reject the view that private provision is necessarily better or more cost

effective than direct public provision which, as the Croke Park agreement underlines, should remain the basis of public service provision.

Working week set for court THE LABOUR Court is likely to to rule on management plans to impose a standardised 35-hour week for all local authority staff. Management had sought to impose the change from the end of April, claiming that it is entitled to do so under the Croke Park agreement.

IMPACT has said the agreement does not allow the imposition of increased working hours for existing staff.

The union took the case to the Labour Relations Commission, which referred it to the Labour Court after the two sides failed to agree. The Labour Court ordered the two sides to enter further discussions, which were underway as Work & Life went to print. Under Croke Park the Court can ultimately make a binding ruling.

Work & Life: The Magazine for IMPACT Members

41

International

Algerian public servants need your help The hunger strike is the strike to end all strikes says SIOBHÁN CURRAN. Photo: iww.org.uk

WHAT WOULD you do if the Irish Government passed a law that gave them arbitrary powers to deny your right to join a trade union like IMPACT? Write a strongly-worded letter?

Protest on the streets? Or would you embark upon the centuries-old tactic of last resort, the hunger strike?

Nine Algerian public servants decided on that course on 6th May. This followed a vicious government crackdown on a 21-day strike and national protest by justice sector workers. Following the clampdown, which saw horrific police brutality against a large crowd of mostly women, the five female and four male trade unionists decided the right to protest was worth a fight to the death.

The Algerian regime is not new to human rights and civil liberties abuse. It’s notorious for corruption, election-rigging and repression of rights we consider inalienable, like freedom of expression and freedom of association. Trade unions and human rights activists regularly face state repression for dignified and just activities.

Following a vicious government crackdown and horrific police brutality against a large crowd of mostly women, five female and four male trade unionists decided the right to protest was worth a fight to the death.

In January 2012, the Law on Associations, like the previous Associations Act, was adopted with a view to controlling and 42

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ultimately repressing associations like trade unions. The law gives the regime the power to suspend the activities of an organisation, to arrest people who have gathered for the purposes of association, and even to criminalise leaders and members of associations, who can be detained arbitrarily on charges like “inciting civil disturbance.”

Trade unions around the globe are denouncing these violations of human and labour rights and calling on the Algerian regime to accept that workers have the right to form associations freely and without reprisals. The Algerian Government’s continued repression of its people has held them tight against the backdrop of the rising tide of change in the region – in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt.

We don’t have to sit idly by as nine fellow workers starve to death for basic civil and human rights that we have won for ourselves. Spread the word, by mouth, by email, by social networks, throughout your union. Encourage your branch to take action, raise the issue everywhere you can. Join the e-campaign and go online to send an email to President Bouteflika via labourstartcampaigns.net and call on him to enter negotiations with the justice workers’ union. Write to the newspapers, on blogs, email the embassy in London on consular@algerianconsulate.org.uk or telephone them on 0044-207-589-6885.

The nine trade unionists – Leila Aberkane, Rabia Menaa, Nadia Derouiche, Zahia Boutaoui, Fouzia Bouziani, Mourad Ghedia, Saad Bourekba, Azziza Haddadi and Beldjani Djemai – are now in a serious condition, having already lost around 10% of their body weight. Several of them have had emergency hospital treatment. Act now and don’t let the workers of Algeria fall alone l

Your money

Photo: dreamstime.com

Travel safe and secure IVAN AHERN has some money-saving travel tips.

USE THE BOAT: Travelling by boat is á la mode once again, with many ferry lines now boasting completely refurbished, modern ships with great restaurants, bars, cabins and entertainment. You can forget about luggage limitations and there are no unexpected surprises, with taxes and port charges usually included in the price shown. Prices vary significantly depending on the day of the week you travel, so flexibility with your dates will allow you to avail of the cheapest price on offer.

PHONE WISE: Be aware of telephone roaming charges. Minimise your mobile phone costs by texting instead of calling, or use a local pay phone. Switch off the data roaming option on your smart phone settings.

INSURANCE: Some people feel that the European Health Insurance Card is sufficient cover. But, while it can be useful, it’s no replacement for travel insurance. The health card won’t help if you have to cancel a holiday or are the

victim of a nonviolent crime – by far the most common reasons for claims. A couple of years ago, one family on holidays in the US had to bring their child to hospital and quickly racked up medical expenses of almost €200,000.

The couple had the safety net of travel insurance but without it they could have been denied the proper care for their child.

KEEP RECEIPTS: Most travel insurance companies will refuse to pay out for lost baggage, crime or illness unless you have receipts. If you have your bag stolen, you will normally need a copy of a police report to prove your loss. If your baggage is lost by the airline, you’ll need to obtain a “property irregularity report” from them.

SMALL PRINT: It’s a tedious job but it’s very important to read the small print on your travel insurance so you are aware of what’s covered and excluded.

Some policies invalidate claims where alcohol is a factor, and may refuse to pay hospital and treatment bills if alcohol has been consumed. Others exclude activities like skydiving, bungee jumping, white water rafting, parasailing, mountain trekking or even bicycle touring. Tell your insurer if you have health insurance as some will give you a discount of up to 25% on your travel insurance.

MEDICAL CONDITIONS: With some insurers, your entire travel insurance policy could be invalidated if you don’t declare an existing medical condition at quotation stage. The insurer may have to verify if your policy covers any preexisting medical conditions. Some insurers do cover pre-existing medical conditions unless the insured has been advised not to travel by their GP. If in doubt, talk to the insurer before you buy.

EMERGENCY CONTACT: It’s a good idea to take emergency contact details and a photocopy of your passport l

Ivan Ahern is a director of Cornmarket Group Financial Services. Members who have specific questions relating to their personal finances are advised to seek professional advice and can contact Cornmarket on 01-408-4000. The information in this article is intended only as a general guide and has no legal standing.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 43

Sport

Paved with The 2012 Olympics are lighting up London’s east end. KEVIN NOLAN weighs up the medal chances of talented Irish qualifiers.

IRISH ATHLETES have won a total of 23 Olympic medals under the Irish flag, while several more have enjoyed success for other nations, particularly the USA. If you discount the unusual case of Jack B Yeats, who won silver for his painting The Liffey Swim in 1924, the Irish successes are spread over just four sports; athletics, swimming, boxing and sailing.

Our most celebrated year was 1956 when Ireland returned from Melbourne with a gold, a silver and three bronze medals.

Ronnie Delany triumphed in the 1,500m while Fred Tiedt won silver in the ring. All the bronze came in boxing with John Caldwell (flyweight), Freddie Gilroy (bantamweight) and Anthony Byrne (lightweight) stepping onto the podium.

Boxing is by far the most successful Irish Olympic sport, delivering 12 of our 23 medals, and it looks the most likely source of glory at London 2012 as well. One story that will generate headlines is Katie Taylor’s aim for gold. Taylor was tearful when she qualified. Not only was this a dream come true, it was everything she’d been working towards since 2009 when the International Olympic Committee decided to include women’s boxing in the London programme.

boxer was one of the lucky few to come through the difficult qualification round in Trabzon, Turkey and seems to be peaking at the right time.

Right track Track medals have been few and far between over the years but the Irish public still has a huge interest in athletics. There aren’t any sure-fire winners like Usain Bolt heading to London, but there are still a few athletes with an outside chance of reaching the podium.

Cork race walker Robert Heffernan is a genuine medal contender. The 34-year-old is something of an Olympic veteran. His first games were in Sydney in 2000 and he hasn’t missed one since. He will compete in both the 20k and the 50k, but is focusing on the latter.

Over the years he’s made steady progress in his sport, finishing fourth in the 50k and 20k at the 2010 European championships. Getting a medal on the international stage is the pinnacle of any athlete’s career and London could be Heffernan’s chance to finally realise that ambition. u

Challenge If they hadn’t she may have turned professional. There were plenty of offers out for Taylor, who’s now just one fight away from a guaranteed Olympic gong. She may not say so publicly, but her ambitions go far higher than bronze.

Photo: Sportsfile.com

In the past six years Taylor has dominated the 60kg division, winning five European crowns and four world titles. Now she’s the hot favourite to take Olympic gold.

While her tough world semi-final against Queen Underwood in 2010 showed just how competitive women’s boxing is, Katie’s consistency over six years proves she’s able for the challenge.

Pad

Fion

Rob

Of the male boxers, Paddy Barnes is the one to watch. He won bronze at the Beijing games and this year he’ll be hoping for a spot in the final of the light-flyweight section. Since his success in China he’s gone on to win a European amateur title and Commonwealth gold. The Belfast

Ana

Grai

Derv

Eoin

Deir

Kati 44

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Fionnuala Britton.

gold?

On current form it’s also realistic to believe that Fionnuala Britton could pull off a coup. The European cross country champion has qualified for the 3,000m steeplechase along with the 5,000m and 10,000m. She will have a testing schedule, but the Wicklow woman is in the form of her life and has plenty of chances with the three events.

The 10,000m is where she could really shine.

It’s impossible to look at the medal contenders and not consider Derval O’Rourke. She hasn’t shown much competition form lately, but she’s run the ‘A’ standard time twice and is a proven championship performer.

Although she had a disappointing Beijing Olympics, she came back better than ever taking fourth in the 100m hurdles at the 2009 world championships and winning silver in the Europeans the following year.

It could be now or never for the 31-year-old and the added pressure could give her the edge she needs.

Ryan Ireland’s main medal hope in the field events is high jumper Deirdre Ryan, another athlete who’s currently in the form of her life. At last summer’s world championships she recorded a personal best of 1.95 metres, set an Irish record and finished joint sixth. Although it’s her first games she has competed internationally for over a decade and won’t be fazed by the big occasion.

Eoin Rheinisch burst onto the water scene in Beijing in 2008, finishing fourth in an exciting K-1 slalom final. Rheinisch, who first competed in the Olympics at Athens 2004, recently finished twelfth at the European canoe slalom championships to win Olympic qualification. He left it late to secure his spot for London but, after a disjointed period due to injuries, he’s back where he wants to be and could better his fourth place of four years ago.

Swimmer Grainne Murphy may be young but she has plenty of experience. In 2010 she won European silver in the 1500m freestyle and, before that, won three golds and a bronze at the European junior championships. Her record suggests the powerful 19-year-old isn’t far off a final in the 800m freestyle in London.

NINE TO WATCH

Of Ireland’s eight sailors at London, the only woman Analise Murphy, ranked 11th in the world going into the games, has the greatest medal potential.

Her mother is a former Olympic sailor and her father was an Olympic team coach, so she has plenty of guidance on hand to go with her talent. l

ddy Barnes Boxer One to watch

nnuala Britton Steeplechase

Could shine

bert Heffernan Race walker Genuine contender

alise Murphy Sailor

inne Murphy Swimmer

Potential Could make final

val O’Rourke Hurdler Now or never

n Rheinisch

Canoe

rdre Ryan High jump

Could better fourth

Katie Taylor.

Medal hope

ie Taylor Boxer Hot favourite Work & Life: The Magazine for IMPACT Members

45

S UD OKU

Win Win Win

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HOW TO PLAY: 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.

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The Beach Boys’ Sloop John B is based on: A The cynical belief that people will buy anything B Wagner’s Ring Cycle C A folk song from the Bahamas.

In its first two years the Croke Park agreement saved: A Our skins B Nearly €1.5 billion C Newstalk Breakfast having to find any news.

The Clifton suspension bridge and SS Great Britain are both: A Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel B In Bristol C Both of the above.

Author Siobhán McKenna used to be: A In the rag trade B A social worker C A detective.

Nine-year-old Martha Payne recently: A Sued the local council B Beat a ban on photographing her school dinners C Cooked for Jamie Oliver.

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 Friday 21st September 2012. The editor’s decision is final.

That’s it!

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This man does job excluding nothing and shampoos eventually 5.

Ghost like adolescents 9.

You’re a scot who loves the outdoor life 10. To see seas in confusing but is the key 11. A feminine article from France 14. Information technology confuses me and I by this 15. Students aspire to go to tiny Irish country 16. Practice trade 17. Be single and be plural we go in this 18. Craig gives up these over 2 tees 22. Initially no score in Egypt 23. Canadian canine 26. Conveyance leaves roundabout in Salou 29. Existential command 30. An odd character who depersonalises 31. Emotional expression 32. This time we are returning 33. A poem in code 34. Writer’s production 35. The most pleasant of cities Down 2.

One hears the playing on the radio overseas 3.

Looks like you and me are flightless 4.

There’s ice in this city 6.

Nothing is as it seems in this group 7.

One of these is always whole but never full 8.

One of these is worth 500 meals

50

€

PRIZE CROSSWORD 1

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3

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5

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7

8 9

10

11

13

12

14

15 16 18

17

19 20 22

21

23

24 26

25 27

28 30

29 31

32

33 34 35

Crossword composed by Seamus Halpenny, Probation Service

YOU COULD add €50 to your wallet or purse 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. Send your entry by Friday 21st September 2012. We’ll send €50 to the first completed entry pulled from the hat.* You’ll find the answers in this issue of Work & Life.

5

3

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

5

12.

13.

16.

19.

20.

Author’s confusion delights Avenging horse To be Pele on a beach A strong man at last Remove an ant and what you see becomes apparent 21. See 28 down 24. Les, what you see is what you get 25. At this time we await a national teacher - it’s dev?

27. An Irish race to this place 28/21 Horobod 29. Achieve perfection and aspire to sanctity 31. My brother might be able but I can achieve just as well 33. There’s nothing we can do when in debt

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 Friday 21st September 2012.

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

Winners!

The winners from competitions in the spring issue were:

Quiz: Patricia O’Neill, Penston, SNA. Crossword: Geoff Dickson, Civil Service No. 1.

Survey: Billy Roberts, Wicklow Branch.

Lots more competitions to enter in this issue!

Your view

n i w100 €

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.* And don’t forget, we’re also giving prizes for letters published in the next issue.

See page 21.

The survey

4. What were your least favourite articles?

1 __________________________________________________ 2 __________________________________________________

1. What did you think of the articles in the summer/autumn 2012 issue of Work & Life?

Excellent

o

Good

o

Okay

o

Bad

o

Awful

o

Comments ________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 2. What did you think of the layout, style and pictures in the summer/autumn 2012 issue of Work & Life?

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

1 __________________________________________________ 2 __________________________________________________ 3 __________________________________________________ 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

Excellent

o

7. Any other comments? ______________________________

Good

o

__________________________________________________

Okay

o

__________________________________________________

Bad

o

__________________________________________________

Awful

o

__________________________________________________

Comments ________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 3. What were your favourite three articles?

Name ________________________________________________ Address ______________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

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 Friday 21st September 2012. The editor’s decision is final. That’s it!

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 47