Oberstown faces further work stoppage due to concerns over resources and staffing

Oberstown Children Detention Campus. File picture

Industrial action at Oberstown Children Detention Campus is set to continue with Fórsa trade union members staging an eight-hour work stoppage from 9am on Tuesday.

The action is due to a continuing dispute over resourcing and safe staffing at the State's youth detention facility and is the second in a series of planned weekly work stoppages across the month of August.

The Irish Examiner reported last month that Oberstown was operating at full capacity for almost 40% of 2025, double the proportion recorded in 2024.

Its 2025 annual report said  this “increased demand” and “increased occupancy” is happening at a time of a “very difficult recruitment environment”.

The report’s publication in July coincided with renewed industrial unrest at the North Dublin facility, with Fórsa trade union members engaging in a work-to-rule due to “persistent and unresolved” concerns over staffing levels, including assaults on staff by some children.

The Oberstown report acknowledged injuries staff suffered in assaults, specifically in the second quarter of 2025, saying it was a “testing time” for the centre.

It said the small number of children involved had “extremely complex and significant behavioural challenges”, but added these were “isolated incidents”.

However, despite what union officials described as “solution-focused” local engagement, union negotiators and Oberstown management couldn't reach agreement on key issues.

The ongoing industrial action follows a ballot of Fórsa members, concluded in May, backing industrial action, up to and including a full withdrawal of labour at the facility, where staff have been engaged in a work-to-rule since June 25.

Oberstown management has been notified of further work stoppages on Tuesday, August 18, and Tuesday, August 25.

Fórsa national secretary Hazel Nolan said: “Safe staffing in Oberstown has been a long-standing concern for staff, and our members are taking action because they want a lasting solution.

“We agree with management that staff safety and the safety of the young people in Oberstown are inseparable.

“Unfortunately, talks have broken down because Oberstown is refusing to include key elements of our claim in the business case going to the Department.

“This includes measures to address the recruitment difficulties facing the service."