One in two health workers in Ireland have experienced mental health difficulties, it has emerged.

The largest public sector trade union in the country is to seek a return to the working hours for civil servants that were in place before the financial crisis.

Public sector workers could demand a pay increase of 6% if the Government does not reduce their working hours.

It wouldn’t be Easter week without it.

A substantial number of people, especially women, in the private sector have no occupational pension and are “staring at poverty in old age”, the annual conference of the country’s second biggest union, Fórsa, heard this morning.

One of the country’s largest trade unions has called on the Government to take the special 9% Vat rate off the hospitality sector in the upcoming budget and invest the money gained in early childhood education.

One of the country’s largest unions has voted to accept the new public service pay deal, but has warned that it expects discussions aimed at ending the two-tier pay scales currently imposed upon its members.

The Government has committed to putting 975 additional special needs assistants in place from September.

A rapidly increasing reliance on technology and the drive for a low-carbon economy could threaten thousands of jobs unless they are properly managed, two separate reports warn.

Low pay, poor career prospects and long periods off-payroll during the summer months has led to turnover in the childcare sector of up to 22%, it has been claimed.

Peter Clinch, one-time advisor to former taoiseach, Brian Cowen, has been appointed chair of the National Competitiveness Council.

Ruairi Quinn paraded out of Government Buildings flanked with Labour backbenchers to announce Cabinet approval to keep resource teaching for children with disabilities at current levels in the autumn.

The number of training places for primary teachers should be reduced because Government cuts mean there are not enough jobs in schools, the head of their union has claimed.

Dole queues, emigration, poverty and waiting lists — if this is recovery, then spare us the cure.

The country's largest public service trade union has warned the Government that job cuts in the sector must be on a voluntary basis.

AN instruction to schools to cut the pay of caretakers, secretaries and other staff not directly employed by the state is set to be challenged by a union.

A union leader has said public sector workers are ready to make a difference in Ireland's economic recovery.

THE Irish Congress of Trade Unions is to invest more than €300,000 per year for at least the next five years in a specialist economic unit.

THE man charged with overseeing the implementation of the Croke Park deal has told the parties to the deal he wants to see “quick wins” in the transformation of the public service.

IMPACT trade union has told members not to attend meetings with HSE management without union representation after the HSE suggested it would discipline individuals for taking part in legitimate industrial action.

UNION representatives and management at the HSE remained in intensive talks late last night trying to find an alternative to staff suspensions and cuts in essential health services.

A senior IMPACT official is denying they failed their members in the Croke Park deal on pay and reform in the public sector.

AER LINGUS and the public service are facing escalating industrial relations problems as union members vote to up the ante in their campaigns against cutbacks.

The IMPACT trade union, which represents health workers, says it will escalate its industrial action and begin a series of rolling work stoppages in the row with the Government over cuts to pay .

SENIOR trade union leaders last night claimed the Government collapsed the public sector pay talks as part of a campaign to drive down wages in order to improve competitiveness.

THE country’s health services will be reduced to a “Christmas Day” operation with emergency cover only on November 24, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has been warned by trade unions.

HEALTH union IMPACT has voted to embark on industrial action if necessary to oppose the HSE’s attempts to centralise medical card processing.

HEALTH service and local government workers have voted to strike if the Government makes any attempt to cut their pay or numbers as part of the economic recovery efforts.

Health chiefs were tonight accused of trying to cod the public by claiming a recruitment freeze would not impact on patient care.

HEALTH chiefs last night refused to clarify the position of 14,000 employees believed in danger of being axed as a cost-cutting measure.