The action is expected to cause significant disruption to the administration of the schools' sector without affecting students or parents.

Their action is expected to cause significant disruption to the administration of the schools’ sector, without affecting students or parents.

Schools are effectively teaching children that “it's OK to disrespect and discriminate” by continuing to unfairly treat its non-teaching staff, according to one of those workers' unions, Fórsa.

A voluntary national training programme for special needs assistants is to be introduced, trade union Fórsa has confirmed.

School secretaries, represented by Fórsa trade union, have outlined their experience of poor pay and uncertain short-term contracts to a hearing of the Oireachtas Education Committee.

The trade union which represents special needs assistants has called for immediate consultation on Government plans to introduce changes in the funding and delivery of the service.

The civil service is struggling to recruit staff in a number of key areas because salaries are not keeping pace with jobs in the private sector.

Not so long ago, people regularly advised one to “wake up and smell the coffee”.

The lack of a signed written contract for a management consultant who was paid €700 a day including expenses for almost two years for work at the University of Limerick Hospitals’ Group (ULG) has been described as “mind boggling”.

A major stand-off between 500 hospital staff and the HSE over the €250,000 pay-packet of a manager heading up a key hospital group is set to escalate after talks to resolve the matter broke down.

Up to 500 staff at five hospitals in the University of Limerick Hospital Group have begun industrial action over the continued employment of the group’s chief operations manager on €250,000 per year — more than twice the €116,000 that would be paid to a public servant.

Clerical administrative staff at Ennis Hospital were provided with computer memory sticks to complete their work at home in the evenings and at weekends on an unpaid basis, a nursing union has claimed.

Five firms providing agency workers to the HSE were paid €123m last year — with two sharing an almost €87m payout.

The cash-strapped Department of Health has come under fire for spending €110,000 sending officials to an exclusive training course on negotiation at one of the world’s most prestigious universities.

An additional 40 acute beds have been allocated to address overcrowding at one of the country’s busiest & emergency departments.

Female hospital staff have been warned by the HSE they face disciplinary action or even the sack if they dress provocatively or reveal too much flesh.

THE Brothers of Charity in Limerick could be facing a bill of over €2 million to fund back-pay and increments owed to 150 staff.

ST JOHN’S HOSPITAL in Limerick has the worst absenteeism rate in the country at between 7% and 8%, and over 10% of nurses are calling in sick when rostered.

CLARE County Council faces paying out around €120,000 to 14 workers in compensation for lost overtime.

JUNIOR doctors at the country’s largest hospital are the latest casualties of frenetic efforts by the HSE to generate €300 million in savings at a time when health chiefs have warned they could run out of cash.

THE Brothers of Charity in the mid-west could be facing a bill of over €300,000 for reportedly withholding incremental pay to staff.

HEALTH Minister James Reilly is to be asked to intervene after the HSE announced plans to close 50% of the surgical facility at Croom Orthopaedic Hospital in Co Limerick for eight months.

THE Health Service Executive has been accused of engaging in further acts of nepotism after some temporary workers recruited in controversial circumstances last summer have been recently been re-hired.

SENIOR trade union officials said it came as no surprise that the regional hospital in Limerick was ranked as one of the two worst performing hospitals in the country.

INDUSTRIAL action is looming in the HSE’s Mid-West region over management plans to get rid of up to 300 health service staff on temporary contracts.

THE trade union IMPACT has expressed serious concern about the manner in which recent vacancies for community welfare officers (CWOs) in Limerick have been filled by the HSE.

Prince Harry’s Nazi fancy-dress uniform complete with swastika armband sparked international outrage tonight amid calls for him to apologise in public for his “shameful” antics.

Britain's Prince Harry provoked outrage today after being pictured dressed as a Nazi soldier at a fancy dress party.