Further strike action at Oberstown averted after staff accept proposals

Fórsa members have voted to accept proposals to resolve the long-running dispute over staffing levels at the Oberstown Children Detention Campus, averting industrial action. An agreement had been reached between both sides at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) on Thursday with members balloted on Friday. The union had recommended a Yes vote. Fórsa said on Saturday evening that members had voted to accept the proposals with industrial action paused. Members staged a 12-hour strike at Oberstown, the State’s only child-detention centre, on Tuesday and were planning a 48-hour strike from next Monday.READ MOREOne striking care worker on Tuesday said “the core issue” of the industrial action was “the safety of the young people inside and the safety of staff working in a challenging environment”. The person said a number of workers “have been injured” on the job, are “out on long-term sick leave” or “have had to take early retirement” due to the work.[ Inside the crisis at Oberstown: ‘We are in an emergency situation’Opens in new window ]Fórsa national secretary Hazel Nolan on Friday confirmed that constructive engagement from all sides had secured an agreement.“Our progress today was clearly helped by a demonstration of the political will required to move this difficult dispute forward,” she said in a statement.“A clear roadmap has now been agreed, providing a basis for addressing the remaining matters in a structured and time-bound way.She also acknowledged the role of the Department of Children and the WRC in facilitating the discussions.“This has been a complex dispute. The ultimate goal is to make Oberstown safer for everyone and to ensure that is achieved in a sustainable way. The proposals agreed today will help move us closer to that goal,” Nolan said.