www.impact.ie

ISSUE 17 • SUMMER 2012

THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

SPECIAL DELIVERY: CROKE PARK REFORMS ESCALATERING WRONGS RIGHTED: UNIONS SCORE OLYMPIC FAIR PLAY

PEOPLE LIKE YOU: IMPACT MEMBERS GETTING INVOLVEDDON’T SHOUT: GETTING ASSERTIVE AT WORK

ALSO INSIDEAGE-APPROPRIATE FASHION. TUMMY TUCKS. EASY WALKS. BUFFET FOOD. PARALYMPICS. AGENCY WORKERS. SPORTY FILMS. FINGAL RAP. BOOKS ANDBOOKWORMS. FIONNUALA BRITTON. ALL THE NEWS. COMPS & QUIZZES.

EVERYDAY PEOPLEHow IMPACT members help put lives back together. Page 16.

GREEN SHOOTS

New contributor

ITA PATTON

on gardening for

real people.

See page 32.

WORK

2. CARSLBERGProbably the worst excuse.

6. SPECIAL DELIVERYCroke Park modernisation.

10. RING WRONGS RIGHTEDUnions score Olympic fairplay.

14. JOIN USNew union training can helpyou get involved.

16. EVERYDAY PEOPLE

IMPACT members help putlives back together.

19. ASSERT YOURSELFBeing assertive doesn’t meanbeing pushy.

21. JAIL-BREAKHelp free a wrongfully-imprisoned native Americanactivist.

22. AGENCY RIGHTSAgency staff get new rights atwork.

1WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

work&& life – Summer 2012

In this issue

LIFE

4. IN THE SWIM Anne MarieWard’samazing longdistanceachievements.

24. FASHION Time to dress your age.

26. HEALTHTuck in that tummy.

28. WALK THE LINEHill walking is fun, frugal andfriendly.

30. FOODDinner parties are past it.Buffets beckon.

32. GARDENSBeautiful beds, herbs andveg.

34. FILMSSport and films mix.

36. MUSICYoung Finglas. Old Leicester.

38. BOOKSCondoms, cash and paraffinin Mayo libraries.

44. SPORTFionnuala Britton gears forgold.

NEWS

41. WHISTLEBLOWER VINDICATED

41. COMMUNITY CUTS

41. STATE ASSETS FOR SALE?

42. CROKE PARK DEFENDED

42. SICK LEAVE REVIEW

42. VITA CORTEX

43. EVELYN OWENS

43. WATER PRIVATISATION

43. OUTSOURCING

PRIZES

21. Win €50 by writing to us.

46. Win €50 in our prize quiz.

47. Rate Work & Life and win €100.

Work & Life is produced by IMPACT trade union'sCommunications Unit and edited by BernardHarbor.

Front cover: IMPACT member Aneesa Ally.Story, page 16. Photo by Michael CreanPhotograpy.

Contact IMPACT at: Nerney's Court, Dublin 1. Phone: 01-817-1500.Email: rnolan@impact.ie

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

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All suppliers to Work & Life recognize ICTU-affiliatedtrade unions.

SUMMER 2012 2

Time to call the complaints departmentSTRANGE WORLD

CARLSBERG CAME up with what is probably the worst excuse in the world when its lawyers argued that brewing beer is an ‘essential service’ in a successful attempt to break a strike last summer.

The International Union of Food Workers (IUF) launched an international campaign after Lithuanian court agreed that beer production was “vitally essential” during the “high season” and suspended industrial action for a month. Nine workers were subsequently sacked and rehired on temporary contracts after joining a picket line to protest against the ruling.

In what the international trade union federation dubbed the “second worst excuse in the world” Carlsberg then argued that it had not sought the ruling. “We did not use those words. They were used by the [company-hired] lawyers,” it said.

Mark goes for gold

ThE BIG pIcTuRE

HANDCYCLIST MARK Rohan looks a good bet for podium glory at this summer’s London 2012 Paralympic Games. Pictured here powering his way to gold in last year’s UCI World Paracycling Road Championships, Mark will attempt to become Paralympic champion in his HC1 road race and time trial events. He’s one of around 40 elite athletes with a disability who will compete for Ireland at the Games. Fellow UCI World Paracycling

champion and IMPACT member, Catherine Walsh, (HSE North Dublin branch) will also aim for gold in her 3k Tandem Pursuit event. For more information on Mark, Catherine and Irish Paralympic sport, visit www.paralympics.ie. You can also support Irish elite athletes with a disability through donations or fundraising. See www.paralympics.ie/donate for full details. l

The move followed a strike vote by brewery workers who’d seen no pay increase for three years despite business booming. They were seeking a company-level pay agreement, but Carlsberg went to court to have the strike declared illegal.

Lithuanian trade unions understandably see the development as a major threat to collective pay bargaining and fear other employers will be encouraged to go to the courts with similar arguments.

Jenny Formby, national officer of Unite trade union has weighed in to support the workers. “Many people think beer is great, but it doesn’t save lives. The decision that beer is essential cannot be allowed to stand,” she said during a protest at the company’s Denmark HQ. Is that where the complaints department is? Probably. l

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30 years ago Work begins on the 240 kilometre Cork-Dublin natural gas pipeline at the end of April 1982. The Satellite Channel is launched two days later on 26th April before being renamed the Sky Channel after it’s bought by Rupert Murdoch two years later. It’s now Sky One.

An MRBI survey shows that 53% of us depend on television as our primary source of current affairs information, while 20% rely on radio and 17% on newspapers.

50 years ago The final train runs on the west Cork railway on 5th April 1962. West Side Story wins the Oscar for best picture on 9th April and anger management superhero The Hulk makes his debut in The Incredible Hulk No 1 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Irish troops leave for a peace-keeping mission in the Congo on 8th May as RTÉ’s preparations for the first edition of the Late Late Show are underway. Gay Byrne presents on 6th July.

70 years ago In April 1942 a Nazi extermination camp opens on the outskirts of the town of Sobibór in occupied Poland. At least 160,000 people are killed there between then and October 1943. In Germany the Reichstag meets for the last time on 26th April, dissolving itself and proclaiming Adolf Hitler as “Supreme Judge of the German People,” granting him power of life and death over every German citizen.

King George VI awards the George Cross to Malta on 15th April. The period between 1st January and 24th July sees just one 24-hour period in which no bombs fall on the tiny Mediterranean island.

Back home, speed levels are restricted from 2nd June to prevent wear on car, motorcycle and bus tyres.

3

That was then…

WORK & LIfe: THe MAGAzINe fOR IMPACT MeMBeRS

SurpriSing public ServantS

not so civil servantMAYBe IT was the pay. The tedium, perhaps? Or even some simmering resentment at a superior. Whatever it was, this turn-of-the-century civil servant shattered the stereotype of a boring, bureaucratic profession in 1897 by writing the most spine-chilling and resilient tale of the 19th century.

Today everyone knows the story of Dracula. And, these days you can hardly visit a cinema, bookshop or TV channel without tripping over a teen-marketed version of the vampire legend. But not everyone knows that its author Bram Stoker started his working life as a Dublin civil servant.

On graduating from Trinity College in 1870, Stoker started work as a civil service clerk in Dublin Castle, while moonlighting as an unpaid theatre critic and penning short stories in the dead of night. In 1876 he was appointed inspector of petty sessions and his first book, published three years later, tackled the harrowing subject of The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions In Ireland.

Stoker resigned from the civil service in 1878, married florence Balcombe (once courted by Oscar Wilde) and left for a new role as a theatre manager in London. Dracula was written in 1897 and, despite flat reviews, has never been out of print since. A plaque in Dublin’s Kildare Street commemorates Stoker as ‘theatre manager and author of Dracula’. Perhaps it’s time to add the words ‘and public servant’ to the accolade. l

IMPACT people

SUMMER 2012 4

Tell me about yourselfI’m 45 and single, but very much a family woman. I live close to my parent’s home and am the second eldest of seven. I’m the bossy one. I adore my nieces and nephews but am particularly involved in the upbringing of my six-year-old nephew and godson Andy.

What’s your earliest memory?I was born and bread in Portnablagh, a small seaside village in north Donegal where I live now. My brothers, sisters, friends and I played on the beaches and mountains near our home. Tell us about Donegal person of the year I am totally humbled and honoured. Last year’s recipient was the playwright Brian Friel and other previous recipients include Daniel O Donnell, Sir Gerry Robinson, and Packie Bonar. It’s a privilege to be acknowledged by your own people.

How did you get involved in swimming? My father taught us to swim at an early age and the north Atlantic was our playground. I gave up for many years but ten years ago I started to swim again to improve my health and work-life balance. I did a two mile charity sea swim in 2002 and it went on from there.

Your toughest swim? In 2008 I set my sights on the North Channel, a notoriously difficult channel between Ireland and Scotland, which only nine people in history had swam. It’s known for its cold water, unpredictable weather, strong tides and the lion’s mane jellyfish. My first attempt saw me battle strong wind and tides for over 17 hours before my team pulled me on safety grounds a few miles off the Scottish coast.

My third attempt in 2010 resulted in being stung hundreds of times in a five-hour battle with huge blooms of jellyfish. I required hospital treatment. But four weeks later I went back and successfully became the first Irish woman, and fourth woman in history, to do it after 19 hours in 12°c water. u

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IMPACT member Anne Marie Ward has just shared the prestigious Donegal person of the year award for 2011 in recognition of her amazing long-distance swimming achievements, which include 2010’s Swim Ireland open water swimmer of the year and world open water swimming woman of the year.

Swimming with the jellyfish

Work & Life: The Magazine for iMPaCT MeMbers 5

What’s next? My ambition is to enjoy my swimming and use it to support humanitarian causes. i’ve been invited to north africa to swim a segment of a high profile swim for peace. i’m really looking forward to the opportunity to support peace efforts in that part of the world. but my big project for this year is an international relay swim across the bering straits.

What keeps you going? My father told us that his grandmother wouldn’t let him or his siblings sit. she always told them to be doing something. This always stuck in my mind.

You work in the disability sector.My younger sister was paralysed for life after sustaining a spinal injury at 21 so i naturally developed an interest in disability issues. i got involved in some voluntary disability groups and then applied for an eU disability project managers

post with the north Western health board 20 years ago. i left nursing and never looked back. i’m now an hse manager of training and occupational support services for adults with disabilities in Donegal, sligo and Leitrim.

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received? our former Ceo Pat harvey always told us to think of our own nearest and dearest when planning and delivering services. if we wouldn’t send our own there, then something is wrong.

How do you relax? i love to walk the beach near my home, but sometimes when i just need to chill it’s a good film, a big fire and a glass of wine.

What makes you happy? being with family and friends. sunday lunch at my mum’s is the highlight of the week.

a rise in sea temperatures is also a cause for celebration.

What makes you laugh out loud? Conversations with my six year old nephew andy. and Mario rosenstock playing Vincent brown.

What really annoys you? Watching Dáil reports where politicians are playing political football with serious topics and then laugh when they score a point. Plus dog and horse poo on the beach.

Who would you like to go for a pint with? Lynn Cox, the long-distance swimmers and adventurer. a pint with richard gere would be nice too!

What’s the kindest thing done for you recently? i had hypothermia after a recent ice swim. The all-male boat crew helped me dress and then wrapped themselves around me for body heat on the boat journey back. it really worked.

Interview by Martina O’Leary l

Swimming with the jellyfish

SUMMER 2012 6

Croke Park deliversP

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Michael McGoldrick and Danny Ashmore in a Dublin addiction clinic.

Savings flow from staff effortsCritics of the Croke Park agreement say its reforms are too tame and too tardy. But, as the deal approaches its second anniversary, MARTINA O’LEARY and BERNARD HARBOR report on the emergence of cost-saving reforms in organisations large and small.

IMPACT MEMBERS and other staff working in three addiction clinics in north east Dublin are saving the taxpayer €500,000 a year through changed rosters and new opening hours. It might sound like a drop in the ocean of a €15 billion annual public pay bill, but it’s not a bad return on roster changes that affect about 30 staff. And it’s one of a growing number of u

“When a country is bankrupt,you have to be realistic. The money

has to come from somewhere and it’s reasonable to try and reduce expenditure without a slash and burn approach. It’s a

sensible approach and it needed to happen”

Work & Life: The Magazine for iMPaCT MeMbers 7

Croke Park delivers

Savings flow from staff efforts

Continues on page 8

Defending the dealiMPaCT has stepped up its defence of the Croke Park agreement. following much ill-informed criticism of the deal around the time of the budget, senior officials from iMPaCT and other unions have met representatives of all the Dáil political groups. The union has also initiated a regular information bulletin for oireachtas members and local councillors, and is taking information stands at party conferences. among other things, the union’s ongoing media work resulted in the publication of a sunday business Post opinion article in february.

examples of local reforms that add up to big savings under the Croke Park agreement.

The savings come through longer daily hours for dispensing Methadone and other services, which has done away with the need for evening opening without reducing the service to clients. The big cut in the overtime bill that followed was accepted by staff once management agreed that the changes must be implemented under the protections of the Croke Park agreement.

Meanwhile, staff and management are exploring other changes expected to deliver significant cost savings through better sampling and clinical waste disposal, as well as integrated stock control between the 12 clinics in the region.

Pharmacist Michael Mcgoldrick says workloads have increased and net incomes fallen. “We’re very busy but it’s

SUMMER 2012

unhappiness. The long term savings are considerable and it gives people something to soften the blow,” says Michael.

The big ticket savings so far achieved under the Croke Park deal have mostly come from staff reductions. Although they have comfortably exceeded targets set by the Government and the troika, critics of the agreement still complain that the reforms are too tame and too tardy. But IMPACT general secretary Shay Cody argues that the pattern is similar to that in private companies which find themselves in dire straits. “Staff cuts bring the biggest and earliest cost extractions with changed work practices, to maintain output and add savings, following later in

working out okay. A lot of staff have lost overtime. No one wanted to see that happen but we’re lucky to have our jobs and salaries guaranteed for the moment. When a country is bankrupt, you have to be realistic. The money has to come from somewhere to pay for us and it’s reasonable to try and reduce expenditure in the public service in a reasonable way, without a slash and burn approach. It’s a sensible approach and it needed to happen,” he says.

UnionLocal IMPACT representative Danny Ashmore says the changes didn’t start well when management tried to introduce change without consultation.

8

Croke Park delivers

shows that most struggling private companies opted for staff reductions and changed work practices while using the instrument of pay cuts sparingly, if at all,” he said.

Now that the deal is approaching its second anniversary, significant cost extraction is also being delivered directly through reforms in organisations large and small. The Dublin addiction service is just one example. For instance, reforms have saved almost €950,000 in just seven months at St Michael’s House, one of Ireland’s largest providers of community-based services for people with intellectual disabilities. The organisation expects savings of over €3 million once its local agreement

“The union stepped in and now we’re communicating effectively, with a new working group looking at cost containment and service reconfiguration. People have adapted to the changes and, with the economy we have at the moment, the changes have to be made. It’s the way forward in relation to saving jobs,” he says.

Staff who lost overtime received some compensation under the Croke Park agreement. “It made a big difference to getting this deal accepted. Without it there would have been a lot more

the process. And unnecessary pain is avoided because companies recognise they need staff on board in tough times. So they concentrate on what’s really vital,” he said.

OireachtasShay recently argued this case to the Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, where he dismissed claims that private companies in similar situations would cut pay rather than reduce their workforce. “Recent CSO research

“It sounds wonderful. Tear up Croke Park and all our problems will be solved. But where do you go from there? I can’t really see what the alternative would be.

Do you start negotiating with each union, in each sector for each discipline? It would take forever.”

on Croke Park reforms is fully implemented.

The changes in Saint Michael’s include the introduction of an extended day for front line, clinical and administrative staff plus redeployment between day and residential services to help management cope with fewer staff. A new rostering system for its 170 residential and respite units will support a comprehensive review of rosters that’s currently underway Meanwhile, front line staff are now providing transport to eliminate u

Enhanced

membership

benefitsin 2012

€4,000 FREE CRITICAL ILLNESS COVER

You must have been an IMPACT member for at least six months to qualify for this benefit. Not every illness is covered. Pre-existing criticalillnesses and some medical conditions are not covered. These restrictions are in line with standard insurance industry norms. Details of the

illnesses covered and excluded, definitions of pre-existing critical illnesses, and other conditions are available from www.impact.ie.

IMPACT members aged under 65 who contract a definedcritical illness are now entitled to a payment of €4,000.

Find out more from www.impact.ie

Work & Life: The Magazine for iMPaCT MeMbers 9

Croke Park delivers

duplication, with estimated savings of €400,000 in 2012.

a recent review of reforms in the organisation, which employs over 1,500 people, detailed progress in 21 key change areas set out in an agreement signed by unions and management last summer. The changes cover all aspects of service delivery across all grades of staff.

Hospicein our Lady’s hospice in Dublin, changes to rosters and breaks are expected to deliver annual savings of €220,000. The changes will free staff members for work elsewhere in the organisation, leading to an annual €175,000 reduction in spending on locums and agency staff. a further €47,000 will be shaved from spending on premium payments, with reduced earnings for the staff concerned.

other cash-generating reforms include €50 million a year from the redeployment of surplus teachers, new rosters in

Reforms mean savings

Most of the savings delivered under Croke Park have come from staff reductions, while redeployment and other reforms have helped maintain services as staff numbers fall. but a growing number of local reforms are now adding savings in organisations large and small.

•€50 million a year from the redeployment of surplus teachers•new rosters in medical labs saving €7 million a year•Changes in radiography services saving €3.5 million a year•Changed prison work practices saving €20 million a year•almost €1 million saved across saint Michael’s house disability services•annual savings of €220,000 in our Lady’s hospice in Dublin,•€685,000 annual savings from redeployment and reorganisation in Teagasc•a 20% cut in local authority staffing with €16.5 million of payroll and other savings in fingal county council and €700,000 in galway city alone.

medical labs (€7 million a year), changes in radiography services (€3.5 million a year), changed prison work practices (€20 million a year), and €685,000 annual savings from Teagasc reorganisation and redeployment. new garda rosters come into force in april.

Meanwhile, local councils have also been reorganising to cope with a 20% cut in local authority staffing. fingal county council has saved €16.5 million in payroll and other savings while galway city has saved €700,000.

overall, the Croke Park implementation body has verified that the agreement directly led to annual savings of over €680 million in the year up to June 2011. The trend continued in the second half of 2011 and appears to be accelerating in 2012. The implementation body will report on the second year of progress in June. in total, the government intends to cut the public service workforce by 38,000 and to slash €3.5 billion off the pay and pension bill by 2015 through staff reductions and reforms.

Cutsall this comes on top of average public service pay cuts of 14%, with a further 10% cut for new entrants. “While public servants understand the need for further substantial cost extraction, they are determined that it can be done without further erosion of their pay. and all the experience since the Croke Park agreement was negotiated shows that they are correct,” says shay Cody.

Michael Mcgoldrick agrees that the Croke Park critics have got it badly wrong. “i don’t know what alternative they would go for. all out strikes and hostility between the public sector and government? i can’t really see what the alternative would be. it sounds wonderful. Tear up Croke Park and all our problems will be solved. but where do you go from there? Do you start negotiating with each union, in each sector for each discipline? it would take forever,” he says. l

The Croke Park agreement provides industrial peace.

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SUMMER 201210

Workers’ rights

What unions did whenthe games came to town

FOR TWO weeks 17,000 athletes will represent 200 countries,competing in 26 different sports in front of about 500,000live spectators and a global TV audience of billions. Nothingmatches the Olympics’ power to grab global attention.

Another 60,000 people have been involved in its planning, or-ganisation and construction. Thousands more will providefood and refreshment, accommodation, transport, cleaningand other services to the throng that will descend on Londonthis summer. Many others across the globe are working to pro-vide equipment and merchandise for the event.

The London Olympics are almostupon us, with the Paralympic gameshot on their heels. NIALL SHANAHANfinds out what trade unions did toensure workers’ rights took their placeon the winner’s podium.

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11WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

The unions have been busy too. Frances O’Grady,deputy general secretary of the Trades UnionCongress (the TUC, which is the British equiva-lent of ICTU) told me that unions have workedfrom the outset to ensure proper labour stan-dards in every aspect of the project’s develop-ment, with a strong focus on making sure thegames leave a positive legacy in the city.

“Our argument was that a world class gamesneeded a world class workforce. The eyes of theworld would be on everything that happens, andthat brings massive reputational risks for every-body involved,” she says.

The unions forged a constructive relationshipwith the Olympics organising committee and thedevelopment authority charged with building thevarious Olympic sites. They agreed principalsaimed at ensuring workers earned a living wage.“Ensuring that labour standards were factoredinto procurement policy was a key factor. It

meant companies with union recognition agree-ments and good labour standards could com-pete fairly.” The agreement also covered healthand safety, learning and skills.

Promoting quality local employment duringconstruction and helping to create sustainablelong term employment possibilities was also atthe heart of the TUC’s approach. Crucially, thisinfluenced the selection of the site for thegames. Then-mayor Ken Livingstone helped en-sure that a run-down polluted site in East Lon-don was chosen. “Had a different site beenchosen, this area would have remained neg-lected,” says Frances.

The TUC’s approach was informed by the expe-rience of Australian trade unions at the 2000Sydney games. “They gave us a warts-and-allbriefing and advised us on what worked andwhat they would have done differently,” saysFrances.

Promoting quality local employment during construction, and helping to createsustainable long term employment, was also at the heart of the unions’ approach.

Crucially, this influenced the selection of the site for the games.

Frances O’Grady

Photo: gettyim

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She places great emphasis on what she calls “the practicalstrands” of the working relationship with the Olympic bodies.Central to this was an onsite ‘learning centre,’ a facility to de-liver training and information, and provide trade union eyesand ears on the ground. As part of the agreement, union of-ficials had good access to work sites.

But these agreements were only as strong as the reps and ac-

tivists on the ground. “This is where the learning centre cameinto its own. It allowed us to build a trade union communityon site,” says Frances. The learning centre helped unions toidentify incidences of non-compliance with the living wageprinciple among non-unionised workers. “We were able to en-sure proper labour standards and toughen up on implemen-tation, provide training materials and ensure that the principleof a living wage was a reality,” she says l

Enhanced

membership

benefits

in 2012

€4,000 FREE DEATH IN SERVICE COVER

You must have been an IMPACT member for at least six months to qualify for this benefit. Details of the life cover and limitations, definitions and other conditions, which meet standard insurance industry norms, are available from www.impact.ie.

IMPACT members aged under 65 now have

€4,000 death in service cover.

Find out more fromwww.impact.ie

Workers’ rights

Playing fairOLYMPIC MERCHANDISE is big business with thousands of workers across the globeproducing big brand trainers, tracksuits and baseball caps as well as stuffed mascots,key rings, and all the rest. Most of the manufacturing takes place in China, Indiaand other parts of Asia – and the profits are staggering.

In a campaign jointly coordinated by the TUC and Labour Behind the Label (LBL), Play-fair 2012 is working to win maximum protection for workers throughout the supply chain.Following dialogue with Playfair 2012, the London games’ organisers agreed to help en-sure compliance with international ethical trading and labour standards.

This included a complaints and dispute resolution mechanism, enabling workers to re-port violations of their rights regardless of where they linked in to the global produc-tion chain. The TUC’s Frances O’Grady explains: “This meant we knew exactly whereOlympic merchandise was being manufactured, and it gave unions the opportunity to carry out inspections and research.It also helped ensure that workers were free to join unions.”

The agreement means the London games have gone further and deeper on workers’ rights than ever before and the or-ganisers have undertaken to pass on the knowledge to the 2016 Rio games. Playfair continues to focus on long-standingconcerns about sweatshop labour, particularly in the production of branded sportswear. For more visit www.play-fair2012.org.uk.

SUMMER 201212

JUST A year ago Julie Flood had never contacted the union, letalone been to a meeting. Now she’s a local union rep for hersmall Dublin City Council office and three others in the area.

“I had an issue at work myself and there was nobody to go tolocally. I approached the IMPACT branch and, after taking upmy issue, they asked if I’d be interested in being a rep. Ithought ‘I can just sit on my hands and do nothing, or takepart’,” she says.

Julie, who’s been an IMPACT member for seven years, alsosigned up for a new training programme, launched by theunion last year for members who’ve an interest in becominga little more involved in unionbusiness.

“I’d never been to a union meet-ing, let alone any training. I wasan absolute novice. But thecourse gave me the confidence totell people I was a union rep. I feelmuch more at ease now. Peoplewouldn’t have approached me be-fore, but now they come and askme about the union and their is-sues,” she says.

The new course, called ‘Making an IMPACT,’ gives you basic in-formation about the union, how it works, and what it does formembers. Crucially, it outlines the support that local reps get

SUMMER 201214

Getting involved

Union training

‰

There’s been overwhelming demand for a new training programme for IMPACTmembers who want to get more involved in the union. BERNARD HARBOR reports.

from their branches and union staff and stresses that theycan opt to take on as much or as little as they want.

Demand for places has been little short of overwhelming, ac-cording to union official Ashley Connolly who’s been drivingthe project for the last year. “Our initial objective was to trainaround 60 emerging activists in the first tranche, but morethan double that number are now participating and we’ve hadto put on extra sessions. We expected strong demand but thelevel of interest has far outweighed our expectations and thefeedback from participants has been really positive,” she says.

The course includes totally fresh material and a new style oftraining, aimed at those with little knowledge but plenty of in-

terest in being part of the union.It’s based firmly on participationand discussion and is delivered infour one-day modules which coverhow the union works, basic com-munications skills, dealing withmanagement and members’ is-sues, and building union strength.

The training usually involvesgroups of about 12-14 members

and courses have so far been run in Cork, Dublin, Galway, themidlands and the north east. More courses are planned forthe second half of 2012.

Seamus Ryan, a library assistant in Ennis with no previousunion training, says the course really boosted his confidence.

“I’d never been to a union meeting, letalone any training. I was an absolutenovice. But the course gave me the

confidence to tell people I was a unionrep. I feel much more at ease now.”

Members fromthe west training

in Galway.

15WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

“The training was great. A real eye-opener, notjust about industrial relations, but about the peo-ple involved in the union who can support you. Itgives you confidence to go out and get your voiceheard,” he says.

While the new course is aimed at potential andemerging activists, a second more advanced setof modules is being developed for the next stage.These sessions, also designed with existing ac-tivists in mind, will be launched in the autumn.

FreshIMPACT deputy general secretary Kevin Callinan, who hasoverall responsibility for the initiative, says the project hasbeen driven by the union’s training sub-committee led by vicepresident Margaret Coughlan.

“The style and content is fresh. It’s not aimed at dyed-in-the-wool activists, but at ordinary members who have the interestand ability to get a little more involved in local union activities.Crucially, we are asking union staff to follow up to make sure

opens doors

€4,000 free cover for eligible members who suffer critical illness or death-in-service

A free legal advice helpline for non-workplace issues. The union continues tohandle workplace issues (lo call: 1850-77-66-44)

A free confidential counselling helpline for members and their partners andimmediate family members (lo call: 1850-77-66-55)

Free legal representation in bodily injury cases (lo call: 1850-77-66-44)

A free domestic assistance helpline (lo call: 1850-77-66-44).

New benefits for IMPACT members

Terms and conditions apply. See www.impact.ie for details.

“The style and content is fresh.It’s not aimed at dyed-in-the-wool activists, but at ordinarymembers who have the interestand ability to get a little moreinvolved in local unionactivities.”

The style isfresh, with lots

of participation.

those who’ve done the course continue to get support in thenew roles they take on,” says Kevin.

Just as demand for places has been high, the enthusiasm ofparticipants has been really encouraging. Like Julie Flood, anumber of participants have opted for election to local branchcommittees after doing the course while others have taken onadditional responsibilities.

“When you think about it, it’s obvious what the union does foryou. But after the course it was very clear to me. The words‘role play’ used to send me into a panic. But this course waslight-hearted as well as informative. I’m much more confidentnow and feel able to deal with members’ questions,” she says.

Contact mgorman@impact.ie for more information and anapplication form for the next round of training l

are going back home to? What do they need to be in relation to their home set-up and work situation? That’s what you’re working towards.”

“We look at driving. It brings a higher level of independence. Social participation becomes much more possible when driving becomes achievable,” she says.

The OTs also offer a vocational service. “We link with employers if it’s needed and if the patient consents. There are people u

IMPACT members in the National Rehabilitation Hospital help put lives back together when people lose mobility, speech or cognitive faculties. MARTINA O’LEARY met some of them.

SUMMER 2012 16

Public service

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“YOU REALISE how important every day is. None of these people expected to be here. They had jobs, normal lives, and suddenly the rug was pulled from under them. It could be me tomorrow.” So says IMPACT rep Jacqui Kavanagh, who provides administrative support in the spinal service at the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) in Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin.

A horrific accident, a brutal attack, a stroke or a brain haemorrhage. The world around you crumbles. But this amazing team of people is providing specialist rehabilitation to help patients reach their full potential after these life-changing events.

It’s about learning the basics again. Learning to think, remember, walk, talk, converse and socialise. And look after yourself as best you can.

Interdisciplinary teams of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, social workers, psychologists, nurses, doctors, healthcare assistants, dietatians, pharmacists, prosthetists and orthotists, provide personalised treatment plans to give patients every chance.

Physiotherapist John Lynch, who treats people with spinal cord and other nerve injuries, says the NRH is a place to come to terms with the psychological enormity of severe injuries, as well as physical recovery. “It’s a big adjustment when you have a spinal cord injury. Suddenly all the routine things you take for granted are taken away from you. We make people as independent as possible, no matter what their disability. For some it could be driving a power wheelchair with their chin or practicing getting a wheelchair in and out of a car so they can live as normal and fulfilling a life as possible,” he says. Aisling Weyham is one of a team of occupational therapists who help patients in very practical ways, this includes basic tasks, such as, washing and dressing yourselves, preparing food and drinks. “We establish someone’s current level of function. What they are likely to achieve here and what they

Rebuilding every day lives

IMPACT members working at the NRH Jacqui Kavanagh, Aneesa Ally, Aisling Weyham and John Lynch.

Work & Life: The Magazine for iMPaCT MeMbers 17

Public service

Enhanced

membership

benefitsin 2012

FREE legal representation inBODILY INJURY CASES

Phone: 1850-77-66-44

You must have been an IMPACT member for at least six months to qualify for this benefit. The phone number is a lo-call number when calls aremade from landlines. For some mobile packages it may be cheaper to phone 01-881-8064. Calls may be recorded. Details of limitations,

definitions and other conditions, which meet standard insurance industry norms, are available from www.impact.ie.

IMPACT members who suffer immediate bodily injury in an accidentanywhere in the world can get free legal assistance and representation to

seek compensation. Find out more from www.impact.ie

who will get back to work and those who will not. it’s a real team effort – not just oTs but all the disciplines,” says aisling.

after a trauma many patients need the specialist care of a speech and language therapist. senior sLT aneesa ally works with patients who can’t eat or swallow. “seeing them leave here on an oral diet is a great achievement. i feel like i’m really giving back to the community,” she says.

Rebuilding every day lives

but the job can be difficult, particularly when it comes to breaking bad news. “it can be heart breaking. it takes a skill, which you develop with experience, but it still hits a nerve. You really want the family to get good news. They come in hoping the patient will change dramatically, but it’s not always the case.” says aneesa.

Cutbacks and staff reductions don’t help either. “We try to keep as positive as we can and we have a great team here. but we feel the same pressures as everywhere else,” says John. “staffing issues are a bit of a challenge. You are obviously trying to keep the same level of care up for the patients, but there’s a huge demand put on us. sometimes you feel you’re running around left, right and centre,” he says.

Jacqui agrees that it’s disheartening to see services cut and people not getting what they need to enable them to go home. “The worst is when services are cut in the community. You see the problems people have trying to get the community and home care they need to achieve the best possible quality of life and independence once they leave the nrh. but a good day is when you see someone come back as an outpatient and see how well they’ve done,” she says. l

“You’re trying to keep the same level of care up for the patients, but there’s a huge demand put on us. Sometimes you feel you’re running

around left, right and centre.”

Physiotherapist John Lynch helps make patients as independent as possible.

Contact the national rehabilitation hospital to make a donation or take part in organising a fundraising event. Phone 01-235-5280, e-mail fundraising@nrh.ie or makea donation to the nrh foundation at www.mycharity.ie.

You can heLP

IMPACT makes a number of small grants towards members’ children’s trips to the Gaeltacht.Look out for details on our website – www.impact.ie

Gaeltacht 2012

For brochure or further information please contact:

Tel: 066-915-6100 Fax: 066-915-6348www.colaiste.ie

Courses for 10 – 18 year olds in Ceann Trá, Feothanach,

Cill Mhic a Domhnaigh, Mináird, Muiríoch, Baile an Fheirtéaraigh.

Courses in JulyResidential Course at Coláiste Íde on

Dingle Harbour for boys and girls 10 years old up to 2nd year secondary school.

An Rúnaí, Coláistí Chorca Dhuibhne, Baile an Fheirtéaraigh, Trá Lí, Co. Chiarraí

IRISH SUMMER COLLEGES 2012

Coláiste Chorca DhuibhneCorca Dhuibhne Gaéltacht West Kerry

To be in with a chance to WIN ONE OFTWO HALF

SCHOLARSHIPSworth up to €375 all you

need to do is:send your name, postal addressand the name of your school

by e-mail to:eolas@gael-linn.ie

and put IMPACT in the subject box.

win

Your career

DO YOU tend to agree to things because you feel you haveno choice and are powerless to do differently? Have you everresponded aggressively, or not spoken up, and regretted itlater? If so, greater assertiveness could help you in yourcareer.

With effort and practice anyone can learn to behave asser -tively and improve equality in their relationships. Asser tive -ness involves standing up for yourself and protecting yourrights whilst at the same time respecting the rights ofothers. It’s about being able to comfortably, confidently andcalmly express your opinion while encouraging others to beequally honest and forthright.

Assertiveness is different from aggression, which stemsfrom a belief that “I have all the rights. I am right and youare wrong.” It’s also different from a submissive stancethat suggests that your opinion needs and rights don’tmatter.” This attitude breeds those feelings of power -lessness.

Assertive people strive to read social cues and adapttheir behaviour to suit the situation and the otherparties involved. Effective verbal and non-verbalcomm un ication is key.

Honestly and clearly saying what’s on your mind in a respect -ful, firm manner is central to assertiveness. It doesn’t involvescreaming and shouting, point scoring or putting others down. Nor doesit involve keeping quiet to keep the peace, or letting others make choices for you.

Speaking about how you feel, in a way that doesn’t put others down, is a good way to start. “Ifeel quite upset after hearing that” is an effective way of asserting your feelings as opposed to“You’re an ignorant so and so,” which will certainly be perceived as aggressive and trigger defensiveresponses from others. Using ‘I’ rather than ‘you’ is less likely to trigger defensiveness.

An assertive person strives to ensure that all parties feel they have been treated equally. Thinkof a group discussing lunch venues. An assertive person clearly states their own preferencesand encourages others to voice theirs. “I haven’t got much money so would like to go somewhereserving a vegetarian lunch for less than €8. What about everybody else?”

No whisperingor shouting

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 19

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ISOBEL BUTLER says anyonecan become more assertiveat work. And it’s not aboutshouting others down.

SUMMER 201220

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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Enhanced

membership

benefits

in 2012

FREE 24/7 LEGAL ADVICE HELPLINE

Phone: 1850-77-66-44

You must have been an IMPACT member for at least six months to qualify for this benefit. The helpline does not deal with workplaceproblems. If you have problems in the workplace you should continue to contact your IMPACT branch or an IMPACT office. The phone number

is a lo-call number when calls are made from landlines. For some mobile packages it may be cheaper to phone 01-881-8064.Calls may be recorded. See www.impact.ie for other conditions.

IMPACT members now have a free legal advice helpline, with a team of qualified lawyers on hand to provide practical legal advice on non-workplace

issues over the phone. There is no limit to the number of calls you can make. Find out more from www.impact.ie.

Non-verbal communication, expressed in tones and body language, isequally important and needs to be consistent with what you’re saying toconvey an assertive attitude. Tone of voice speaks volumes and a key skillis to control your voice.

Shouting is intimidating and makes other’s defensive; whis pered argu -ments delivered in a monotone rarely convince. A well modulate conver -sational tone is most likely to be taken seriously, sway others and beexperienced as non-intimidating.

Getting thereRecognise and record the people and situations that you find challenging. How doyou feel during these situations? How do you behave? Are you happy with this?

“My boss often gives me impossible deadlines late in the day. The only way tomeet them is to stay late and I often miss social engagements to get the task

done. I feel upset and angry but never say no. I don’t reallyfeel that I have any choice. If I say no he might be angry, Ihate a tense atmos phere.” Reflecting and keeping a recordlike this over a few weeks allows you to pinpoint wherechange is needed.

Learn from others. Observe assertive people in your lifeand see how they handle the situations or people that youfind difficult.

Start thinking assertively. Thinking negatively aboutyourself or seeing yourself as being helpless blocksassertiveness. Be assertive with yourself and start thinkingpositive thoughts to boost self-confidence. “I can do this. Iam a good team player”.

Prepare yourself for stressful situations and decide howyou will handle the situation. Start planning byremembering what normally happens and how younormally behave. How would you prefer to behave?Imagine yourself handling the situation differently.Can you think of a few different responses?

Practice your new assertive response – use a mirror tostart with or a trusted friend who can give you somefeedback. Now try it in the real world. Reflect on it. Whatworked? What didn’t?

Set realistic goals to identify where you would like to bemore assertive over the next few weeks l

ASSERT YOURSELFl Reflect and get to know yourselfl Don’t put yourself down or engage in negative thinkingl Practice and prepare in advancel Don’t back down if it’s important to youl Stay calml Voice your opinion l Speak in a normal conversational tone. No whisperingor shoutingl Invite the other person to voice their opinion and listento their viewpointl Make normal eye contact and use body language to show you’re listening

l Don’t try to score points.

Your career

NATIVE AMERICAN Leonard Peltier hasso far served 36 years of a 70-yearsentence in connection with the deathof two FBI agents on an Indianreservation in 1976. Peltier has alwaysmaintained his innocence and deepconcerns over the fairness of his trialhave been expressed by AmnestyInternational, whose 1999 statementcalling for his release questioned thefairness of the proceedings leading tohis conviction.

The European Parliament has alsoapproved a resolution calling for Peltierto be released.

The incident that led to his convictioninvolved a shoot-out at Pine Ridge, anative American reservation in SouthDakota, which resulted in the deaths oftwo FBI officers who had come to arresta young man who accused of stealing apair of cowboy boots. The death of ayoung native American man killed by asniper bullet during the same incidenthas never been investigated.

Peltier was arrested months later andwas eventually convicted of “aiding andabetting” for which he received two lifesentences. No one was ever convictedfor the murders.

Peltier is now almost 70 years old andin poor health. There is a surge ininternational support for calls for aPresidential pardon and his immediaterelease. Supporters include NelsonMandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu,the Dalai Lama, Robert Redford, 55members of Congress and many morepublic and academic figures.

Peltier’s life long friend Jean Ann Daywas recently in Ireland to raise aware -ness and support for an internationalday of solidarity for Leonard. I met herand heard first hand about the cam -

Your say

Work & LifeWork & Life is the magazine for members of IMPACT trade union. It is posted on our website and IMPACT mem bers can have it mailed tothem by con tacting Work & Life at IMPACT, Nerney’s Court, Dublin 1 or by emailing rnolan@impact.ie. Or call Roisin Nolan on 01-817-1544.

IMPACT also produces a monthly e-bulletin with more detailed in for mation about the union’s activities and cam paigns, and developmentsin your work place. Sign up via the website on www.impact.ie.

IMPACT is Ireland’s largest public sector union with members in health, local government, the civil service, education, the communitysector, semi-state org anisations, aviation and tele communications.

paign to have Leonard released byPresident Obama, which seems the lastoption left.

Leonard Peltier has been in prison formy entire life and longer than he wasever a free man. This is a travesty ofjustice, a crime in itself.

While delegates attend the IMPACTbiennial conference in May, thousands

of supporters of thecampaign will beconverging on Wash -ington to demandhuman rights forLeonard. This willfollow a long walkacross America, some -thing that Indians wereforced to do forcenturies as settlersban ished them fromtheir homelands.

During the period ofFamine in Ireland,Choctaw Indianscollected and sent overthe sum of $710 tohelp Irish men, womenand children who werestarving to death.Perhaps it is time thatwe repaid some ofthat debt to the Indianpeople l

Siobhán Curran is amember of IMP ACT’sNorth Dublin HSEbranch. You can findout more about the

campaign to free Leonard Peltier – andadd your support – at www.whoisleonardpeltier.info. Check out the Irishcampaign on www.facebook.com/irelandforpeltier

Who’s Leonard Peltier? Ask Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama and Robert Redford

Star

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21WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

IMPACT memberSIOBHÁN CURRANargues the case for awrongfully-imprisonednative American activist.

"A deeply moving and very disturbing story ofa gross miscarriage of justice and an eloquent'cri de coeur' of native Americans for redress

and to be regarded as human beings withinalienable rights guaranteed under the United

States constitution. We pray that it does notfall on deaf ears. America owes it to herself."

Archbishop Desmond Tutu speaking about Leonard Peltier's 1999prison writings, collected in My Life is my Sun Dance.

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ages.ie

Your rights at work

Agency workers toget equal rights

New legislation means agencyworkers will at last be entitled to thesame pay and working conditions astheir directly-employed colleagues. ESTHER LYNCH reports.

FOLLOWING YEARS oftrade union campaign ingwith Irish govern mentsand Euro pean institu -tions, agency workers inIreland are set to benefit

from legis lation that will enhance their work place rights.

The Protection of Emp loyees (Temporary Agency Work) Bill2011 will turn an EU directive on the rights of agency workersinto Irish law. The European legislation says agency workersmust broadly get the same treatment as permanent staff inthe organisations they work in.

In practical terms, it means agency workers must receive atleast the same pay and conditions they’d get if they had theybeen recruited directly by the employer to occupy the samejob. It’s a protection for directly-employed staff too becauseit will severely limit employers’ ability to undercut pay andconditions by hiring cheaper agency staff.

The new law will require agency workers to be paid the samebasic pay, shift premiums, piece rates, overtime premiums,unsocial hours' payments and Sunday premiums normallypaid to directly-recruited staff. There is no qualifying periodbefore an agency worker is entitled to equal treatment – thesafeguards apply to all agency workers, in the public andprivate sectors, from day one.

However, there are some situations where the equal payclause won’t apply. Workers who are directly and permanentlyemployed by an agency, and receive at least half pay betweenassignments, are not covered. This is sometimes called the‘Swedish derogation,’ although agency workers in Sweden areentitled to 80% of their pay between assignments.

ICTU opposed this element of the legislation because wefeared it could be used to circumvent equality rights in thislegislation and more broadly.

In any event there is no exemption from agency workers’ rightsto equal conditions, treatment or access to facilities. Underthe new law, all agency workers – regardless of whether or notthey are paid between assignments – are entitled to the sameworking time, rest periods, breaks, night work, annual leave,public holidays and other conditions as their directly-employed colleagues.

They should also have equal access to any on-site facilitieslike canteens, car parks, crèches, toilets, showers and staffrooms. However, this is the only area where the legislationallows for less favourable treatment if an employer can showthere is ‘objective justification’ for different treatment. In otherwords, employers must prove there is a good reason for anydifferent treatment. Cost alone is not a sufficient reason andemployers can’t simply cite the fact that the worker comesfrom an agency.

All agency workers must also be informed of any permanentemployment opportunities within the organisation they areworking in and must be allowed to apply for vacancies in thesame way as direct employees. This doesn’t mean the agencyworker has a right to be recruited. But it outlaws clausesprohibiting or preventing them from taking up a job offer.

The Irish Government missed the 5th December 2011deadline for writing the EU legislation into Irish law. However,EU principles of ‘direct’ and ‘indirect’ effect mean that agencyworkers are now entitled to the rights set out in the originalEuropean directive and the Government told employmentagencies to make arrangements to ensure that the principlesof equal treatment set out in the Bill were put in place foragency workers assigned on or after 5th December 2011.

Your union will be able to help you if you think your rightshave been breached as a result of the delay in implementation– or if they are breached in future.

Esther Lynch is legal affairs officer at the Irish Congress ofTrade Unions l

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23WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

Enhanced

membership

benefits

in 2012

FREE 24/7 CONFIDENTIALCOUNSELLING HELPLINE

Phone: 1850-77-66-55

Totally confidential. Calls are not recorded. No information is passed to the union or anyone else. The number is a lo-call number when callsare made from landlines. For some mobile packages it may be cheaper to phone 01-881-8065. See www.impact.ie for other conditions.

IMPACT members, and their immediate family members, now have a freeconfidential telephone counselling service, which can help with marital or

relationship problems, bereavement, family concerns, bullying, alcohol or drugabuse and many other problems. There is no limit to the number of calls you can

make. Total anonymity is guaranteed. Find out more from www.impact.ie.

This article is for information only and is not intended as a complete or authoritative statement of the law or individual pension entitlements.

IMPACT has a long and successful track record of

taking cases under this kind of legislation,

including a landmark victory for fixed-term

workers a couple of years back. The union can

help you win your rights if your employer is

breaching the law protecting agency workers.

Agency workers who don’t get equal pay,

conditions or access to amenities must usually

complain to a Rights Commissioner within six

months of the date of the alleged breach. This

can rise to 12 months if you can show good

reason for the delay. Those who win cases can be

awarded up to two years’ gross pay.The case will usually be taken against the agency

rather than the organisation you are working in,

unless the organisation has provided incorrect

details of the pay of ‘comparators’ – the directly

employed staff you compare your pay and

conditions with.The comparator or comparators will not always be

obvious. For instance, if there are no directly hired

employees in the organisation, the legislation may

allow for comparisons to be made ‘as if’ there was

a direct hire. ICTU wants Irish law to match EU

definitions of comparators, but we haven’t yet got

a final wording. The European directive on which the new Irish law

is based says the working and employment

conditions of temporary agency workers shall be

“for the duration of their assignment at a user

undertaking, at least those that would apply if

they had been recruited directly by that

undertaking to occupy the same job.” Case law

will undoubtedly develop about the use and

operation of the comparator.There are some other vague bits in the legislation

too, which leaves scope for interpretation that

could go in favour or against a claimant. That’s

another reason to draw on the experience and

expertise of your union.

Winning your rights

Esther Lynch

SUMMER 201224

Looking good

VENTURING INTO the thorny topic of age appropriatedressing is a risky business. We don’t want to be dictated toby a society placing limits on us at a time when we’re feelingmore confident in our own skin.

Anyway, it’s a bit sweeping to say women over 40 shouldn’twear miniskirts. Hotpants are another issue!

Most of us like toexpress ourselvesthrough what wewear, and we wantthe freedom tochoose. Others playso safe they addyears onto them -selves. And thenthere are those wholike to know therules so they candecide when tobreak them, on arule by rule basis.

But have you stoodin front of thechanging roommirror and thought“Mutton?” It’s not apleasant feeling.

We want to look ourfeminine, fashion -able best, but areconscious of howeasy it is to get itwrong. When we’re

Follow TRISHO’MAHONY’S adviceand you’ll never hearthem mutter “mutton.”

Dress your age, not your shoe size

in our twenties we can wear pretty much what we like. Adifferent code applies once we reach our forties andbeyond.

It’s about striking that balance between looking ourbest, expressing our personality, wearing clothes thatenhance our best features and looking fashionable yetage appropriate.

EffortlessTop New York stylist Kendall Farr, author of StyleEvolution, advises: “Too old? Too young? Who cares?Take age out of the equation all together anddevelop a style strategy that looks ageless.” Shesees the objective as looking effortless,sophisticated, current and cool as we get older.“It’s not about looking too young or like you’vegiven up,” she reckons.

Others say you’ve strayed into ‘mutton and lamb’territory when you’re wearing your daughter’sclothes. But it’s hard not to when teenagers are wearingpretty bow blouses, loafers and cardigans that any self

Aim for clothes that skim, ratherthan cling. Adapt trends to suityou and don’t be pressurised

into wearing anything youdon’t feel comfortable in.

respecting 50-year-old would feel is easily in theircomfort zone. By all means wear them, but wear themdifferently than your daughter would.

Regardless of our size, our bodies soften as we age. Skinchanges too. And sags. Our clothes require morestructure to create a good line. If your arms are toned,show them off. If not, camouflage. Same goes forlegs.

If you have a waist, emphasise it. Aim for clothes thatskim, rather than cling. Adapt trends to suit you anddon’t be pressurised into wearing anything you don’t feelcomfortable in.

Mint Embellished sweater, Raffia Wedges,Crop Jeans, Sports Watch, Next. ‰

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 25

StyleLong line jackets are still fashionable this year and fallinto the ageless and timeless category. It’s a good lookwith skinny jeans, the preferred style for nine out of tenwomen according to the Sunday Times Style Guide.Equally good with fitted tops or fitted dresses.Warehouse and Oasis are well priced and the qualityis in the fabric. Tuxedo jackets have an agelessquality for a dressier finish.

Avoid the combination of too tight, too short andtoo low. If you want to wear short, wear a high necktop. If you want to wear a low top, balance it withlength. Wrap dresses look good on any age group andflatter almost every body shape.

High heels always look good but shoes you can’t walkin don’t. They only cheapen the most carefully chosenensemble. Wedges are a great alternative option;comfortably, high, dressy and fashionable.

But, above all, avoid that overly conservative, dowdy look.Cardigans used to hide a shape, dresses and skirts too long,

dull and overly muted colours.

And now, let the preacher practice the preach! l

Top stylist Kendall Farr sees theobjective as looking effortless,sophisticated, current and cool

as we get older. “It’s notabout looking too youngor like you’ve givenup,” she says.

Buy less, spend more.Good quality fabricsreally do fall better.

Dress to flatter yourbody first. Developyour own personaltrademark.

Update your hairstyle and colourto take years off yourappearance.

Use comfort as your cue. If youfeel uncomfortable, don’t wear it.

Avoid low cut jeans and opt forhigher waistbands instead. Theyare more comfortable andforgiving.

If you think coloured jeans are tooyoung look at Michelle Obamasporting bright blues!

Avoid the combination of too tight,too short, too low.

Wear clothes that skim the bodyrather than cling. Buy lined clothesor wear a slip.

High heels are always a classic butwedges are the best choice forcomfort.

Trench coats are your friend.Timeless, ageless and alwaysfashionable.

a

Sandstone Poly DrapeJacket, €19; ChiffonLace Collar Blouse,

€15; Lace Shorts,€19; Pyramid Box

Clutch, €10, Pennys.

Main Pic: Cream draped dress £50 by Label Lab, House of Fraser.

Clockwise from top: Multi coloured letter printscarf £75 Timney, House of Fraser. Yellow

Colour Skinny €13, Penneys. Cream shoe, Glim-mer £85/€115, Dune. Brown ‘Imogen’ cross

body bag £89/€110, Linea Weekend. Red slinkyjersey dress £180 Pied a Terre, House of Fraser.

Lemon Lace detail blouse, Next.

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BENDING THE RULES

•As you sit there, pull your stomach and abdomen in asthoughyouarezippinguptightjeans.Weallknowwhatthatfeelslike!Breathenormallyandafter40-50secondsthetumwillreturntonormal.Butyouwillhavestartedtostrengthenitandreminditof howit’smeanttobe!

Pickarepetitiveeventinyourday-answeringthephone,goingforadrinkof water,stoppingattrafficlights–andmakeityourremindertozipup.Afteraweekortwoitwillbesecondnatureandyourlowbackwillfeelgreat.Italsodoeswondersforyourconfidenceasyouseeyourtumreducebeforeyoureyes.

•Sitcorrectlywhenyoueat.Don’tslouchoverthetable.Giveyourtumroomtoprepareforyourfoodbysittingupstraight.

•Never eatwhen angry or stressed. Youwon’t be able todigestproperly.about?l

Keeping to simple food rules and regular exercise will help reduce the tum

26

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IT’STIME toget intosummerclothesand thedauntingswimsuit. It’s tempting to delay if we’ve put on somepounds over the winter and our middle is bigger thanbefore.Yourwaistlineisyourlifeline,andif youcankeepitintrimtherestof yourbodywillalsostayingoodshape.

This particularly applies to men. Unfortunately women tend toputweightonallover.Butforbothgenders,itisthestomachandabdomen–affectionatelyknownasthetum–thatgofirst.Sowhatcanwedo?Hereisaverysimple,highlyeffectiveexercisethatreallyworks.

Theancientyogapostureknownasuddiyanabhaisalsocalledtheretractionortummytightner.It’ssimpletodoandrecommendedbeforemeals–ideallybeforebreakfastwhenthereisnofoodinyoursystem.u

Ancient tightner will help you tuck in that tum

SUMMER2012

It’s getting hard to hide those expanding waist lines as summer approaches. KAREN WARD says an ancient yoga tummy tightner will help you get trim.

• Reduce the amount of bread you eat. Especially whitebread, which blocks your digestive system and bloats outyour tum. If you findyoustart yourdaywith yournormalwaist line, but it’s tight at the end of the day you shoulddefinitely experimentwith your bread intake. TryRyvita oroatcakes.

•Don’teatonthego.Yourstomachandabdomenneedyoutoeatinarelaxedway.If youeatontherunorinarush,thefoodwon’thaveachancetodigestandwillfermentproducinggasandconstipation.Slowlyenjoyyourfood.

•Pilates is the newbuzzword for a very effective exerciseregime that tones the stomach and abdomen whilestrengthening the low back. Basically you imagine theabdominalmusclesandyourlowerbackasastrongcylinderatthecentreof yourbodysupportingeverythingelse. P

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Enhanced

membership

benefitsin 2012

FREE 24/7 DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE HELPLINE

Phone: 1850-77-66-44

You must have been an IMPACT member for at least six months to qualify for this benefit. The phone number is a lo-call number when calls are made from landlines. For some mobile packages it may be cheaper to phone 01-881-8064.

Calls may be recorded. See www.impact.ie for other conditions.

IMPACT members can now access our helpline, where they’ll be put in touchwith approved repairers and contractors throughout the Republic of Ireland

to deal with a wide range of home-related emergencies like plumbing, heating, glazing, building repairs and many more.

Work & Life: The Magazine for iMPaCT MeMbers 27

Ancient tightner will help you tuck in that tum

stand or sit straight and exhale deeply. hold your breath out by holding your nose and suck in your stomach muscles

– those above the navel. if you are doing this correctly you’ll feel a slight tightness at the throat, which lets you know that the suction effect of holding your breath and sucking in the muscles is working.

hold as long as you can and then inhale through your nose. The snorty noise is the release of the suction.

The stomach retraction exercise will tone your waist and stomach muscles. five would be a terrific start to the day. but even two will add a pep to your step and tone to your tum. Don’t do it if you’re pregnant, after a heavy meal or until six to eight weeks after surgery.

a separate abdominal retraction exercise will help tone your waist and abdominals.

sit leaning over with your arms folded on your knees. exhale deeply through your mouth. hold your breath out by holding your nose and suck in abdominal

muscles. snort your breath in through your nose and the abdomen will release itself.l

The ThirD iMPaCT conference charity cycle, from Limerick to the iMPaCT conference in killarney, will take place on Wednesday 16th May. Previous cycles have raised €40,000 for suicide awareness programmes and cancer research. This year branches are being asked to give financial support to help raise funds for suicide prevention. branches are also being asked to nominate people to join the event – and they don’t have to cycle the full 70 miles.

for more information contact Dessie robinson or eamonn Donnelly at 01-817-1557 or jmckenna@impact.ie. if you’re donating, makes cheques payable to iMPaCT Conference Charity. all donors will get a receipt.

Conferencecharity cycle

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Page titleTravel and trips

SUMMER 201228

AT A time when people increasingly want weekend activities that that don’tcost the earth, the Woodland League has expressed concerns that the Gov-ernment’s threat to sell Coillte’s forestry assets will mean fewer facilitiesfor walkers. The not-for-profit organisation wants the public to reclaimtheir local forests by walking them every Sunday until the decision is re-versed.

So what better time to lace up those boots and partake in the most con-venient, cost efficient and de-stressing pastime of all? All you need issuitable footwear, waterproof clothing and a little bit of time.

Planning is the key to getting the most out of summer walking week-ends. Pick different areas of the country for variety. Invite and cajolefamily members along. Bring a picnic. Preset the oven and dinner can bestarted by the time you get back.

TRISH O’MAHONY says walking ischeap, fun and healthy. And a weekendtrek could help beat privatisation too.

Walk the peaks and make a point

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The Cliffs ofMoher, Co Clare Howth summit

29WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

Taking children to forestparks, lakes and moun-tains instils a love of na-ture and the outdoors thatwill remain with them alltheir lives, regardless ofthe economic ups and downs. There’s a great social side to hillwalking, especially at weekends. And, once you get the walkingbug, there’s plenty of clubs you can join if you want more chal-lenging hikes.

PanoramicDubliners are familiar with beautiful walks around the cliffs andHill of Howth. Others will profit from driving the distance tosavour the panoramic views of Ireland’s Eye, Lambay Island

and the Bailey lighthouse.

When walking around Howth Headyou can start from the summit car

park or the Howth side. For a morechallenging walk, set off from the Red

Rock on the Sutton side of Howth and ittakes about 90 minutes to reach the other

side of the Head. The walking path between Sut-ton and Howth summit is less travelled and takes in great viewsof Dublin Bay and, on a clear day, the Wicklow mountains. Stopoff in the lively village of Howth for refreshments and completeyour circular walk back to the car park. Allow 2-3 hours.

Head south for the breathtaking beauty of the monastic valleyof Glendalough with its well-marked scenic walks around theupper and lower lakes. Don’t be put off by the hoards of daytrippers that descend in good weather. It’s otherwise postcardperfect. Nearby Glenmalure is less known, but you can com-bine one or two day walking trips with an overnight stay inLaragh.

RemoteIf you want something further from the madding crowd, headto the gentle rolling hills of the Slieve Bloom mountains in Laoisand Offaly. These are among the most unspoilt and least ex-plored mountains in Ireland. The 2012 Lonely Planet guide de-scribes them as “wonderfully free of tour buses and souvenirstalls.” Enjoy it while it lasts!

Listen out for traditional music as you travel through unspoilt,sleepy little villages like Kinnity and Clonaslee, and you might

spot red squirrels on yourjourney. Walks are suit-able for all ages and fit-ness levels and organisedguides can be arrangedtoo. The 18th Annual

Walking Festival takes place from Friday 4th May to Monday7th May, 2012.

I was recently in Ardmore Bay, west Waterford, where there’s lit-tle except beautiful scenery, a long golden sandy beach andcliff walks. And of course the exquisitely appointed Cliff Househotel with its Michelin star restaurant. But that’s another story.

Ardmore is the oldest Christian settlement in Ireland. Saint De-clan brought Christianity to the area even before Saint Patrickmade his mark. The cliff walk will take you around ArdmoreHead and Ram’s Head, taking in Saint Declan's Well and Ora-tory and a 12th century round tower. It’s a great spot for whaleand dolphin watching, with plenty of recent sightings noted.Not by us, mind you, but maybe if we had allowed the time,who knows?

WestwardsHeading west, you certainly will return once you experience theunique but eerie beauty of the Burren, Mullaghmore and thestunning Cliffs of Moher, in North County Clare. Believe me.

The Burren is renowned for its rare flora and fauna and it does-n’t matter if you don’t know your orchids from your mountainaven or your grasshoppers from your crickets. You’ll be im-mersed in pure nature in its finest form. You can choose froma selection of mapped out walks, from easy, to moderate, toclimbing on fairly rough terrain.

Even in the height of summer you might not see a car for milesso it’s good for road walking and cycling. The towns and vil-lages in this area are famous for traditional Irish music anddancing. In fact, there are so many outdoor activities in NorthClare you could turn this into your summer holiday and not bebored. Vasco restaurant just outside Fanore is well worth amention for the quality of its food and views. Alternatively,Monks in Ballyvaughan serves great food and delicious seafoodchowder.

No matter where you live you’ll find beauty if you look for it.Whether it’s the canals of Kildare or Dublin, woodlands, cliffsor mountains, walking is free. And it’s good for you l

The Burren Glendalough

“Taking children to forest parks, lakes andmountains instils a love of nature and the outdoorsthat will remain with them all their lives regardless

of economic ups and downs.”

Dinner parties are out. Catering for asummer crowd is all about buffets thesedays, says MARGARET HANNIGAN.

THERE WAS a time when we complained about being time-poor. We’dsigh and have another latte, and talk about downsizing and simplifyingand growing our own vegetables.

Quite a lot of us are now doing that, but not through choice. Time-money parity has indeed been achieved: We’re broke in bothways. But hard times are a great incentive to rethink how we dothings. We need to cook smarter, not harder.

The trend is towards casual suppersrather than dinner parties nowadays.But the infinitely adaptable buffet hasa lot to offer if you’re consideringanything larger than half a dozenfriends round the kitchen table.

A buffet is simply a meal ofseveral dishes from whichguests serve themselves. Afterthat, it’s entirely up to you. Youcan serve hot or cold food, orboth. You can do finger or forkfood, or even or have a barbe -cue. You can theme Asian,Indian, vegetarian, Italian,Eurovision, or whatever youlike.

The big advantage is that it’sbulk-cooking and self-service.Timing is not an issue and you’refree to be with your guests. Whenthey arrive, all that remains is topop a few corks, slide sometrays of goodies into the oven,and start your favouriteplaylist. ‰

In the kitchen

Beautiful buffets save time and money

30 SUMMER 2012

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31WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

Flavours are deadened by the cold and salads and cheesesespecially need to be at room temperature to be at their best.Do be careful of sunny spots in conservatories and the like.They can do nasty things to mayonnaise, shellfish and coldmeats, which should be kept comfortably cool but not freezing.If necessary, you can place platters of food over containers ofice, concealed beneath some artfully draped fabric.

Hot or cold?Good quality salamis and cold cuts are easily available, as aregood olives, cheeses, breads, nuts, and fresh pasta for salads.You can cook a lot of food in advance, including joints of

meat, quiches, sav oury tarts, and dess erts. Breads canbe given that just-baked glow by placing them in a hot

oven for five minutes before serving.

Hot food should be cooked and served fairlyquickly. Aim to serve in two batches if nece -

ssary, rather than having stuff hang ingaround or shoved back in a lukewarm

oven.

The bacteria that causes food-poisoning thrives in gentletemperatures, so make sure foodis thoroughly cooked – no pinkin any chicken portions, please– and then served or let gocold. Vol-au-vent fillings,skewers of meat, fish orvegetables and barbequedribs can be prepared aheadof time and kept in the fridge.

Most important of all, the food should be portable and easy toeat one-handed or with a fork or spoon.

DessertsGuests never seem to have trouble with dessert. Buy from agood quality bakery if needs be and pre-cut desserts into easyportions. Brownies and similar confectionery can be served ina stack, or piled in baskets for handing round. Individualportions of chocolate mousse trifle or tiramisu can be servedin little cups if you have time.

Tables and chairsYou’ll need at least one large table, which is probably bestplaced in a central location so that people can approach fromboth sides. A smaller table or sideboard for drinks should beplaced in a separate area to avoid traffic jams.

Dress your table logically. Start with plates, then appetizers,finger food, mains, salads and sides, dressings, seasoningsand breads, then finish with cutlery pre-wrapped inside anapkin for ease of carrying. Have appropriate servingimplements beside each dish. Put some of the dishes on cakestands or upturned bowls under drapery to give height to thedisplay and for ease of access.

At the drinks table, red wine is happy at room temperaturewhile white wine, beer water and minerals should be chilled. Ifyou have ice available, people can sort it out for themselves.Have non-alcoholic options available, plenty of glasses, andplastic beakers and straws for children.

Have plenty of chairs. Avoid paper plates, they always sagmiserably and make guests nervous. Now all that’s left is theplaylist and what to wear l

Beetroot, goat’s cheese and hazelnut tartServes four as a starter or light lunch

THIS RECIPE is easily doubled, possiblywith a different filling in each. Don’t be put

off by the beetroot, which has a sweet, mildtaste when roasted and is far removed from

its pickled cousins. You can substitute squashor sweet potato if desired, or walnuts for the

hazelnuts.

Preheat oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.

Roll out pastry until no thicker than a €2 piece, intosquare or circle. Transfer to a floured baking tray,

prick all over with a fork, then bake for 20 minutes, Ifthe centre has risen after cooking, gently flatten it.

Increase oven temperature to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

For the topping, heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onionsand stir well to coat with the oil. Add 2 tablespoons of water,

then season and cover. Reduce the heat to very low, and letthe onions sweat for 20 minutes. Check now and then to make

sure they’re not burning, add a splash more water if necessary.When ready, the onions should be completely soft. Stir in the

rosemary. If the mixture is very wet increase the heat slightly to dryout any excess.

Top the pastry with the onions, leaving about 4cm/1.5 inches around theedge. Arrange the beetroot and goat’s cheese on top, season and drizzlewith olive oil. Return to the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes, scatteringthe hazelnuts on top three minutes before the end of cooking time. Serveimmediately.

Ingredients

500g/1lb 2oz puff pastry, thawed if frozen

4 tbsp olive oil

3 large red onions, peeled and very finelysliced

Salt and black pepper

Leaves from 1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped

350g/12oz cooked beetroot, cut into quarters

250g/9oz goat’s cheese, broken into chunks

2 tbsp hazelnuts, chopped.

Jobs to do

SUMMER 2012 32

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The mild spring means growth is weeks ahead of schedule. But don’t panic if you don’t have trays of seedlings all ready to be pricked off and planted. There’s still time to sow and, if you’re pressed for time, you can buy young bedding and vegetable plants at your local garden centre.

Traditional annual plants like marigolds, petunias, geraniums, alyssum and impatiens have served us well, but can look quite bland and staid. I’m not suggesting you completely abandon these old reliables. But why not mix it up a little?

You can add height to your borders by introducing taller plants such as cactus dahlias, cosmos, sunflowers and verbena, or by incorporating a climbing support or tepee for your sweet pea. Bamboo canes are perfect and very pliable.

Mixing vegetables and herbs with the more familiar bedding plants is a great way to achieve foliage interest. Sage, rosemary, lettuce, rocket and the unsurpassed Swiss chard, are all easy to grow, add so much aesthetic interest, attract the bees, and can be eaten!

Don’t worry if space is an issue, or if your garden is a balcony. Many herbs and salad leaves grow well in pots and window boxes. Basil, which should be sown indoors in April, germinates

Growing from scratchOur new gardening expert ITA PATTON has some great ideas for beautiful summer beds and plenty of herbs and veg.

April seed sowingSow bedding plants like marigolds, calendula, lobelia, cosmos, cineraria, and the spectacular ‘love lies bleeding’ (Amaranthus caudatus) in trays or pots indoors. Also herbs like basil, dill, coriander and sage and vegetables such as kale, celery and lettuce. Rocket, carrots, parsnips, peas and radishes should be sown thinly in situ.

Spring bulbsDeadhead, but never cut off the leaves. Let them die back naturally to the bulb to store up reserves for the following year. u

quickly and will be far happier in a pot than planted out in an Irish garden. Pots also have the added bonus of being movable to the sunniest spot and make for easier access to the kitchen.

HerbsThere’s an endless list of herbs that grow well in containers. Thyme, lemon balm, coriander, dill and parsley are just a few. The latter three can be sown indoors in April and pricked out as young plants.

It’s best to sow at intervals, rather than sowing the whole packet at once and then having to dump a lot of healthy young seedlings. Also, most seeds will keep. I’ve often sown seed up to three years old and achieved decent germination.

Despite the ultra-mild weather, it’s important to harden off young plants. If you don’t have a cold frame or glasshouse, leave the plantlets out during the day, and cover with glass or bubble wrap on colder nights. By early to mid-May there should be no threat of frost.

CuttingsMay and June are the months for taking softwood cuttings from plants like fushia, rosemary and asters. As the name suggests, these are taken from soft shoots produced this year. Pick your – or your neighbour’s – favourite perennial or shrub and take a three to four inch cutting just above a leaf joint. u

TomatoesThose raised from seed or bought as small plants can be planted in greenhouses in late April. Wait two weeks before planting outdoors in a sunny position. Tie (not too tightly) to support. Water after planting and feed weekly throughout the summer.

PotatoesIt is preferable to ‘chit’ seed potatoes - known as tubers in the trade - before planting to give your crop a head start. Place tubers in a tray or egg box in a frost free spot. Small green sprouts will grow from tubers. Rub off all but one or two large shoots before planting in soil that’s well manured or fed with whatever you have to hand. As the leaves begin to emerge in early summer, ‘earth up’ the mound by pulling up soil to the neck of plant. This stops the new tubers turning green.

Lawn CareSet the blades on the lawn mower higher for the first cut. You should tolerate some lawn weeds, so I would not advocate use of weed killers. Feed lawn with liquid or granular feed and water in well if there is no rain within 24 hours. A healthy lawn will compete more successfully against weeds. l

Growing from scratch

WoRk & LIFe: The MAgAzIne FoR IMPACT MeMbeRS 33

Remove the lower leaves and any flowers. If the plant has large leaves, you can cut the remaining two leaves in half to reduce water loss. You can put quite a few cuttings in one pot. Water in and cover with clear plastic (a freezer bag would do the trick) and secure to keep in the moisture. Place in a shady spot and check every so often that condensation does not build up too much. Roots should begin to appear after a month or so, depending on the plant.

not all plants give best results for this type of propagation so check a gardening book or website for a list of plants suitable for softwood cuttings.

WeedsThe next three months will be your busiest weeding time. It’s vital to hoe annual weeds like groundsel or dig out perennial weeds such as dandelion before they flower and set seed. Take care when hoeing around your young bedding and vegetables. It’s better to hand weed in these areas.

With longer days and fantastic weather (forever the optimist) this is the busiest time in the garden with so much to do – sowing seed, planting, feeding, weeding, mowing. but your hard work will be well rewarded when you savour the long June evenings in the garden filled with colour and perfumes, harvesting fruit and vegetables crops big and small.

Ita Patton is a craft gardener in the National Botanic Gardens. Jimi Blake has moved on from Work & Life to extend his lecturing work after three years with the magazine. We wish him all the best. l

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At the movies

SUMMER 201234

THIS SUMMER will be dominated by two majorsporting events: the European footballchampion ships in Poland andUkraine and the LondonOlympics, although, for thoseof a certain disposition, everysummer is dominated by twoother sporting institutions – theGAA football and hurlingchampionships.

While there is a convention ofcounter-programming cinemasched ules for an alternativeaudience during major sportingevents, the relationship betweensports and movies is more robustthan you might think.

The recent success of the baseball film Moneyballsignals that sport-themed films remain attractiveto audiences. The film reflects the more generaltendencies of sports movies to focus on theunderdog triumphant in the face of adversityor to show a character redeemed in some way.

American sports like baseball, basketball and Americanfootball loom large within the genre, although the best of themdon’t demand a knowledge of the intricacies of the sport. Theemphasis is on characters and the broader metaphoricalresonance of sport taking precedence.

Ron Shelton’s Bull Durham, often cited as one ofthe best sports movies, ignores standard clichésto examine themes of ageing and masculinity,while the more sentimental Field of Dreams offersa broader reflection on the longing for the pastsimplicity of American life.

Similarly, Friday Night Lights, latterly the sourceof a succ essful television series, and Hoosiersuse American football and basketballrespectively to address not just the role ofsports in small-town life but the pursuit ofredemption and success by its protagonists.

The best sports moviesgenerate a narrative thatappeals to audien ces beyondthose interested in a particularsport. Films that focus onindividual characters, such asRocky’s fairytale triumphs orMickey Rourke’s wilful selfdestruction in The Wrestler, drawaudiences in with their richcharacterisation without requiringa passion for the explicit subjectmatter.

Perhaps this is the reason thatbiopics and documentaries have proven especially successful,both critically and with audiences. For example, Martin

MORGAN O’BRIEN says the relationship between sportand movies is not as fraught as you might think.

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Pitching a movie

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 35

Scorsese’sRaging Bull, a biopic of middleweight

boxer Jake La Motta, offers a mix of the balleticand the brutal in its rendering of boxing. Butit’s perhaps most powerful as a character study.

More recently The Fighter connected withaudiences through its tale of a dysfunctionalfamily life, with boxing forming a backdrop forthe narrative.

Equally, sports documentaries at their best cancapture the human experience at the heart ofsport. Hoop Dreams offers an intimate portraitof two high school basketball players situated inthe broader context of issues of race and classin the United States. More recently, Sennatranscended the overt context of Formula Oneto offer a detailed exploration of the driver’smotivations and rivalries.

Curiously, givenits popularity,soccer has beenfairly poorlytranslated tothe big screen.Films like WhenSaturday Comesand the Goal!series areglossed with afacile Roy of theRovers qualitythat undercutsany attempt atrealism. Escape

to Victory is most significant for the novelty ofMichael Caine and Sylvester Stallone starringwith Pele, Ossie Ardiles and Bobby Moore.

However, exceptions would include the adap -tation of Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch, which is anentertaining tale of fandom and obsession,while Bend it Like Beckham succeeds as a filmabout gender and race. The Damned United ismost interesting when viewed as a study ofmale friendship.

For me Raging Bull remains a personal favourite,with The Wrestler and the documentary Beyondthe Mat as a companion piece also on heavyrotation on my DVD player. While a notableguilty pleasure is Tin Cup, with Kevin Costner asa washed up golfer who plays in the US Open l

Marvel’s Avengers Assemble(27th April)

Joss Whedon helms the year’s first bigblock buster, which is full to bursting withcomic book heroes as Iron Man, TheHulk, Captain America, Hawkeye andThor unite to save the world.

Albert Nobbs (27th April)

Glenn Close’s personal project, which took her 15 years to get made,earned her an Oscar nomination. Close stars as the titular Albert Nobbs,a woman living as a man in 19th century Dublin.

The Wettest County (11th May)

John Hillcoat directs Nick Cave’s screenplay aboutbootleggers in prohibition-era America. The impress -ive cast features Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, GaryOldman, Jessica Chastain. Oh, and Shia LaBeouf too.

Charlie Casanova (11th May)

This debut from Irish writer-director Terry McMahonis a dark grim drama about a wealthy man who, after killing a girl in ahit-and-run, uses a deck of cards to determine his actions.

Men in Black III (20th May)

After a ten year gap Will Smith andTommy Lee Jones return as Agent J andAgent K, with J travelling back in time toteam up with the young K (Josh Brolin).

Prometheus (1st June)

Ridley Scott directs this loose sequel tohis 1979 classic Alien. The film starsNoomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender andGuy Pearce as part of a spaceship crewwho encounter an advanced aliencivilisation.

Casa de Mi Padre (1st June)

Played in over-dramatic soap opera style thismay be one of those films whose trailer containsall the best moments, but hopefully not. WillFerrell stars in this Spanish language comedyas a man trying to save his father’s ranch froma drug lord.

At a cinemanear you

Films to watch out for in thenext couple of months.

AS SOCCER soared towards a saturationpeak of popularity in recent years, it be-came cool for pop stars to come out andtell their gossip-hungry audience whatfootball team they support. But this love-in between football and the cooldom ofchart celebrity wasn’t always apparent.

Discount Elton John (Watford FC). In all sortsof ways, come to think of it. But time was when it

was completely uncool for rock and pop heads to even acknowl-edge the vaguest interest in the game. Before the 1990s, the foot-

ball scene was grim. Just not the showbiz game it is today, andunable to provide any added value to the glitz of pop stardom.

The culture of terrace chanting on these isles ensured that footballand music recognised each other. Yet the most famous terrace chantsreveal that even the modern supporter hasn't exactly moved with thetimes. Guide Me O Great Redeemer (You’re Supposed To Be atHome) and The Battle Hymn of the Republic (Glory, Glory ManU*@*?d) never exactly troubled the charts.

No more than When The Saints Go Marching In. I know aSouthampton fan (just the one) who remains highly vexed that4-4-2 magazine eulogised this chant as When The Reds Go

Marching In, attributing it to you know who. He wasn’t best

Play it loud

SUMMER 201236

RAYMONDCONNOLLY

braces himself for asummer of sloppy

soccer songs.

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Soduko difficult solutionSoduko easy solution

Summer2012solutions (From page 46.)

37WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

Spring 2012 Crossword SolutionsSee page 46 for the competition winners from Issue 16.

ACROSS: 1. Athlone 5. Rates 8. Nomad 9. Taunton 10. Rootrot 11. Emmet12. Bakers 14. Tedium 17. Lobby 19. Another 22. Indiana 23. Tears 24. Added25. Aurelia. DOWN: 1. Anner 2. Hemlock 3. Older 4. Estate 5. Rouge 6. Totem7. Sanctum 12. Ballina 13. Reynard 15. Ishmael 16. Manana 18. Boded 20.Otter 21. Rossa.

3 2 5 6 9 8 4 7 1

8 1 4 3 5 7 9 6 2

6 7 9 1 2 4 3 5 8

5 6 7 8 3 9 1 2 4

4 9 1 7 6 2 8 3 5

2 3 8 4 1 5 6 9 7

9 8 6 2 7 1 5 4 3

7 4 3 5 8 6 2 1 9

1 5 2 9 4 3 7 8 6

6 8 9 7 4 1 2 3 5

2 5 3 6 9 8 1 4 7

1 4 7 3 5 2 6 8 9

7 9 8 1 3 4 5 6 2

3 6 2 5 8 7 4 9 1

5 1 4 2 6 9 3 7 8

9 2 1 4 7 3 8 5 6

4 7 5 8 1 6 9 2 3

8 3 6 9 2 5 7 1 4

AS A Finglas native (proper Finglas not Bono Finglas) it bringsa surge of pride to see young talent like Temperamental MissElayneous getting national recognition for her snappy and in-sightful rap musings.

I never fell in love with the rap and hip-hop scene and I admitI never really understood it. Probably through my own fault(I’m Catholic). I didn’t get the revered greatness of the likesof Rakim. All a bit down in the hood for me. But our own Elay-neous can certainly mix it lyrically with the best of them.

For some reason my home parish has become a Dublinhotbed of the rap scene. It’s certainly moved on from SpiralFinglas: “Stash away your last can, here comes the transitvan.” Although, to be fair to Spiral, he does claim that noneother than Dr Dre robbed his tune.

It wasn’t robbed in Finglas though. As rap is deeply immersedin poetic content, maybe we should thank Bono as an originalafter all. “Walk away, walk away, walk away, walk away. I willfollow.” Epic.

Hats off toHumperdinckHATS OFF to one Arnold George Dorsey. Pop-ularly and officially known as Englebert Hum -per dinck, Leicester’s finest is off to representRoyaume Uni (un point) at the EurovisionSong contest.

The choosing of the name has caused many parents anxious,even tetchy, moments. Open the book of names and turn to‘E’ and there it is. Englebert. Let’s pick a surname. Oh, I know,Humperdinck. You get the point.

Anyway, at the tender age of 76, Bertie (no, not that one) hasbeen chosen to represent the UK. The oldest singer ever toparticipate in the competition? Wrong. Step forward NatalyaPugachyova, part of the Russian band Buranovskiye Bab -ushki, who’s even older. The last waltz with you? A dance-offwith Jedward beckons.

pleased when the darkside of north Londonadopted Oh When TheSpurs Go Marching in ei-ther.

Would it be far-fetched tosuggest that formerSouthampton and nowSpurs manager Arry ‘canbarely read or write’ Red-knapp actually copy-righted the tune andlodged the royaltycheques in an offshoreaccount named after hispet budgerigar ‘Percy?

Anyway. The purpose ofthis piece is to warn you.This summer‘s EuropeanChampionships can beexpected to generate theworst of the worst whenit comes to the tourna-ment song.

Will we as a nation everrid ourselves of the men-tal scars inflicted by Italia'90's Put ‘Em Under Pres-sure? Mixed to the tune ofThe Horslips’ An Dearg

Doon, it was created bylifelong publicity seekersLarry Mullen and U2. Inthis masterpiece the boyscome out with a loudmessage of encourage-ment for poultry farmersin need of a leg up “Ohlay, oh lay, oh lay, oh lay!”

Them across the waterare capable of it too. Inthe summer of ‘96 weheard nothing but MessrsSkinner and Baddiel withThe Lightning Seeds’Football’s Coming Home.The line “Thirty years ofhurt hasn’t stopped medreaming” should havebeen written in algebraicformat to allow the num-ber to be effortlessly in-creased every two years.

But my favorite was the1982 World Cup ditty“This Time (We’ll Get ItRight). Truly a mea culpain advance. Similar ad-vance apologies for Euro2012 songs will be grate-fully accepted l

So You Win Again by Hot Chocolate: The England team comtem -plate a possible meeting with Germany in a year that doesn’t endwith the digits 66.

Once In A lifetime by Talking Heads: The German team contem -plates beating England. Same as it ever was.

Suspicious Minds by Elvis Presley: “We’re caught in a Trap” asMessrs McCarthy, McClean, Houlahan and Co discover thedisadvantage of possessing skill.

Another Brick In The Wall by Pink Floyd: The Italians threaten toinflict their usual dynamic attacking flair upon us for two weeks.

Let’s Gdansk by David Bowie: The Poles get in step for thetournament.

Five only slightly less plausible songs for Euro 2012

12345

In the hood (Finglas-style)

WHAT LINKS a condom, nicorette patches, Viagra, and a rentbook containing a wad of €50 notes? They’ve all turned upas bookmarks in volumes returned to Mayo county libraries,according to Mary Gavin’s new book.

Mayo Libraries: Memories, Tales and Anecdotes contains someincendiary stories, including the one about the self-appointedcensor who tore up a pile of books before producing a bottleof paraffin and a box of matches. This after repeated requeststo stop defacing books by blacking out words of a sexual na-ture.

A long-serving member of IM-PACT’s Mayo branch, whichhelped publish the book, Marysays its main purpose was to “getour minds off the recession andencourage people to see thefunny side of life again.”

Enter the student who took off his sock before paying a fine,then emptied coins from it onto the desk. Or the woman whoremoved the barcode page from an expensive reference book,before heading for the exit and returning red-faced when sherealised the tome was security-tagged.

Mary has plenty of stories to tell after working 27 years inthe Castlebar library. “I’ve seen and heard some amusingthings. I thought it would be great to put these funny elements

into a book. I talked to other members of staff who agreed.I’ve had help from staff members, past and present, somefrom as far as Australia,” she says.

Castlebar library has seen its fair share of celebrities over theyears. Ryan Tubridy broadcast his morning show from there,while RTÉ presenter Paddy O’Gorman spent a day travellingwith the mobile library. Meanwhile, Westport library hasplayed host to President Patrick Hillary, while Dana and JackCharlton have also visited Mayo libraries.

“It’s been wonderful to work in thelibrary where you get to know a lotof the public,” says Mary.

Her book also traces the changesin the library service over theyears. “The branch library wasoriginally often located in a roomin the branch librarian’s house or

in a press in a corner of the local town hall. Some had no tele-phone or kettle. Branch librarians got no paid annual leaveand were paid a fixed rate. Increments weren’t introduceduntil 1997. Things have certainly improved since then, withthe help of the union,” says Mary

Copies are available from marygavin@mayococo.ie for €10including P&P l

From the author

SUMMER 201238

The stories stack up for Mary Gavin.

The self-appointed censor tore up a pileof books before producing a bottle of paraffin

and a box of matches. This after repeatedrequests to stop defacing books by blacking

out words of a sexual nature.

Condoms,cash,paraffin andincrementsIMPACT member MARYGAVIN’S book blows the lidon the ‘boring book worm’librarian stereotype.

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Book reviews

39WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

Wry wit trumpspomposityTHE FINE COLOUR OF RUSTPA O’Reilly (Blue Door, £12.99 in UK).

Tom’s talepeters outTHREE LETTERSJosephine Cox (Harper Collins, £14.99 in UK).

PA O’REILLY, or Paddy O’Reilly toloyal fans, lives in Australia and isactually a woman. It seems to be atrend among female writers who donot wish to be shoehorned into the‘chick-lit’ category to use onlygender-neutral initials in their names.While there’s probably a doctoralthesis and an entire series ofGermaine Greer lectures to be spunout of that development, in fairness,it worked very well for JK Rowling.

Here we have the very engaging storyof Loretta Bokovic, single mother toMelissa and Jake and her life in thesmall outback town of Gunapan.Loretta occasionally daydreamsabout checking her kids into an

orphanage and driving off into the sunsetwith Harley-Davison Man, or possibly Mercedes Man if Harley-Davison Man is busy. But she’s actually galvanized into actionby the threat of closure of her kids school.

Encouraged by her friend and next door neighbour, thegrizzled, oil-stained Norm, she launches a barrage of letters,leaflets, and tea and chocolate biscuit-fuelled meetings in thegeneral direction of the minister’s office. While in the throesof her campaign, she uncovers evidence of shady dealings inthe local council offices, actually turns down a real-live date,and has to negotiate a peace treaty between her kids and aBosnian refugee family newly arrived in town.

These, however are merely the circumstances of the story. Itsheart is Loretta. She’s a vivid, warm-hearted, lively characterwho lives and breathes and will remind every reader ofsomeone they know.

She’s short of money, influence and a fully-functioning car,but she has loyal friends and is unafraid of bureaucracy andpomposity. Equally importantly, she has a wry wit, and isacutely aware of the world around her. Her supporting cast ofcharacters are equally well written and entirely believable,from the stalwart Norm to lippy Melissa (11 going on 23) tosingleton Helen, to Tony, the laddish and completely worthlessex-husband.

Marian Keyes could have written this book if she was anAustralian with just a degree or two less whimsical. Maybewe’d have known her as M J Keyes or even Mario.

Margaret Hannigan

WE’RE BACK in the north of England with a family tale of, lovelost, love found, tragedy and redemption in this latest bookfrom Josephine Cox. The initial premise of the story is inter -esting enough. Tom, a family man devoted to his wife andyoung son, faces an appalling dilemma. Not only is he awarethat his wife, Ruth, has been having affairs, but he also knowsshe is unbearably cruel to their nine-year-old son Casey. Addedto this he has a secret of his own, which will affect thefuture of all of those he loves.

Without giving too much away,he brings Casey to live with hisgrandfather Bob and leavesthree letters – to Bob, Ruth andCasey – to explain his actionsand help them in the future. We discoverearly on that Ruth also has a devastating secret.

Unfortunately, it is all downhill from there. The story lacks anyclear direction despite the fact that you can guess thedestination from early on. Where necessary the plot moves bya series of implausible coin cidences. There is very littletension and it all wraps up far too simply.

Any book by Cox will become a best seller and public librariesknown her as the most borrowed writer of so-called women’sfiction. But publishers underestimate such readers at theirperil.

This book could have used some uncompromised editing. Areader should be able to understand a character by what theydo and say. We don’t need laboured repetition or explanation.We know Tom is a good person who adores Casey. We knowCasey has a wonderful talent and that Ruth is very bad untilsuddenly she isn’t. The reader can figure all this out givenrealism and a degree of complexity, which are sadly lackinghere.

Kathryn Smith

Loretta is a vivid, warm-hearted,lively character who lives and breathes

and will remind every reader ofsomeone they know.

A reader should beable to understanda character by what

they do and say.

more book reviews on page 40‰

40

Book reviews

SUMMER 2012

WITH DEMI Moore appearing inall the gossip magazines lookingshell-shocked and too, too skinny,this is probably not a good timeto think that a relationship bet -ween a woman and much youngerman won’t end in tears.

In this book, Jennifer, a 44-year-old divorced mother of two adultchildren, is not looking for lovewhen she meets Ben Crawfordwhile out for a meal with her goodfriend. Ben is one of the mosteligible bachelors in Ballyfergus;28 years old, handsome and theonly son of wealthy restaurant-owning parents.

Jennifer’s son Matt, a chef, hasjust been for an interview withBen and bumping into his mother on the way out, introducesher to Ben. There is an instant connection between them butneither believes the other could possibly be interested. ButJennifer is an interior designer and the pair end up workingtogether when Ben needs help decorating his new restaurant.

This is a very readable and engaging book. The growingrelationship between Ben and Jennifer is well written, as arethe ancillary characters. Jennifer has reached a disconnectwith her daughter, Lucy, who has fallen in love with acontrolling Christian fundamentalist.

The tension in the relationships with her ex-husband andBen’s parents is tangible as is the hurt and misunderstandingshe feels, particularly with Lucy. Telling her children aboutBen becomes fraught with anxiety and outings with Ben aredifficult too when even superficial things like the difference inher clothes to those of Ben’s contemporaries bringsdiscomfort.

This is an enjoyable story of love, family and modern life.

Kathryn Smith

THE TERM ‘pantheon’, morecomm only used in connection withfilm-making and sports, is definedas “a temple to all the gods.” Aplace where gods can happilymingle without fear of meeting anyordinary people. It’s a term thatregularly appears in broadsheetreviews during entertainmentawards season and World Cupcampaigns.

“A pantheon of movie stars gracedthe red carpet” (which generallytranslates as old folk whose namesyou don’t know) or “a pantheon ofsoccer greats in this stadium today,John, both on and off the pitch”(Pele, and some other people youdon’t know are in the crowd).

Pantheon, then, can be interpreted as a gathering of the elite,a self-regarding exclus ive club.

In this book, flawed hero James Zennor, experimental psych -ologist and injured war veteran, starts learning about thepower of the pantheon one sunny morning when he findshimself abandoned by his wife and child. It’s 1940, Germantroops have occupied the Channel Islands, and there is agrowing sense that Britain will succumb if the USA doesn’thurry up and join the war.

Alternating between righteous fury and blind panic, Zennorfrantically searches for his missing family and somewhatimprobably, given the travel restrictions of the period, followsthem across the Atlantic to the hallowed grounds of YaleUniversity. Aided by an American lady journalist, who seemsto have learned her femme fatale ways from the leading ladiesof the silver screen, and a would-be mysterious whistle-blowerfrom inside Yale, he stumbles on, thwarted at every turn byunseen forces.

The forces in question are active on both sides of the Atlantic,working to prevent American intervention in the war and tofacilitate the promotion of the kind of population controlembraced by the Nazis.

Given the horrors perpetuated in its name, it’s hard to believethat the ‘science’ of Eugenics was popular among a section ofthe international intellectual elite long before Hitler made it a

Master racelacks pacePANTHEONSam Bourne (Harper Collins, £12.99 in UK)

weapon of genocide. The “science of improving a humanpopulation by controlled breeding to increase the occurrenceof desirable heritable characteristics” was regarded as alegitimate way to build a nation.

This pursuit of a perfect race is the darker sub-plot in anotherwise pedestrian thriller, in which character and plot areslack and the writing feels rushed. The novel is based onactual events, but is weighed down by melodrama and a two-dimensional hero.

Bourne, (who is actually Johnathan Freedland, a columnistwith the Guardian) relies too much on broad brush strokes andstereotypes verging on caricature – the damaged hero, theplucky wife, the duplicitous aristocrat – to give anyindependent life to the story.

Margaret Hannigan

It’s hard to believe that the ‘science’of Eugenics was popular among a

section of the international intellectualelite long before Hitler made it a

weapon of genocide.

Anxious romanceSECOND TIME AROUNDErin Kaye (Avon, £9.99 in UK).

Work & Life: The Magazine for iMPaCT MeMbers

Whistleblower‘must be reinstated’

41

a righTs Commissioner has ruled that whistleblower John bagge was unfairly dismissed by Vodafone and should be reinstated to his job. John was sacked last august after revealing serious fraud in his workplace.

at a hearing in early January, iMPaCT argued that John’s sacking was the culmination of months of victimisation, which followed his brave decision to reveal over €4 million of theft by a superior in the company.

The rights commissioner subsequently rejected every argument put forward by the company for John’s dismissal and ruled that he should be reinstated to the same position and on the same pay and conditions.

iMPaCT official Johnny fox called on the company not to appeal the decision. “The rights commissioner recommendation is a total vindication for John and his union iMPaCT. John is a courageous man whose family has been under a cloud for too long. Vodafone should do the decent thing and bring this matter to a close,” he said.

Meanwhile, iMPaCT has welcomed the government’s commitment to legislate to protect whistleblowers, but says the legislation must ensure full protection and fast access to redress for staff who are victimised by their employers.

national secretary Matt staunton called for the Labour

a 35% contraction in the community and voluntary sector will result in an estimated 11,000 job losses by the end of next year, according to a new report by independent researcher brian harvey. Mr harvey estimates that a further 5,500 jobs will go from the sector by the end of 2015.

The report was commissioned by the irish Congress of Trade Unions’ (iCTU) community sector committee. The first harvey report, published by iMPaCT’s boards and Voluntary agencies branch in 2010, estimated a loss of 5,000 jobs – or 10% of the workforce – by the end of that year.

Philip o’Connor of the iMPaCT branch said the report revealed the hidden consequences of austerity policies and provided evidence that indiscriminate cuts in the sector had done enormous damage.

“The sector has suffered the worst possible effects of a scattergun approach to reduced funding. This report gives us an insight into the effect of that approach on organisations in the sector, as well as the communities they serve. The damage is far-reaching,” he said.

The report says community organisations have gone out of their way to avoid service closures and job losses. but many have imposed short time working and significant pay cuts. harvey criticises the arbitrary nature of the cuts, which has had a devastating effect on the sector’s delivery of frontline services to those most in need.

11,000 community jobs under threat

relations Commission (LrC) to draw up a code of practice, which should be endorsed in the legislation. “The law must contain adequate provisions to protect genuine whistleblowers like John from detrimental treatment for good-faith reporting. The LrC is best placed to outline the necessary steps to ensure this protection is robust,” he said.

Legislation passed last year means those who discover financial malpractice in their workplace can now be prosecuted if they fail to report it. Yet protections against victimisation remain weak and whistleblowers can even be prosecuted themselves in some circumstances.

Those who fail to report workplace theft, fraud, bribery and corruption to the gardai can be jailed for up to five years and fined €5,000. but employees who are wrongly dismissed after they report suspected malpractice can only seek redress under unfair dismissal legislation which, even if you win, hardly ever means getting your job back.

The irish Congress of Trade Unions has said proposed new whistleblowing measures must be backed by tough and practical sanctions.

Union business

Not for saleiMPaCT has warned that any sale of aer Lingus or Coillte assets would risk damage to the irish economy. speaking about aer Lingus, iMPaCT national secretary Matt staunton said: “ireland is heavily dependent on international connectivity. in addition to the transatlantic and irish routes to London and other european cities, the airline’s heathrow slots are among its considerable strategic assets.

“although the sale of the government’s stake would not mean that flights on these routes would stop overnight, it would leave the government powerless to influence future route changes or to stop an undesirable future change in ownership,” he said.

Mr staunton also expressed concerns that, if Coillte ended up in private ownership, new owners would commence an immediate asset-stripping exercise to achieve a quick return on their investment. “This would raise substantial questions about the future of irish forestry, the ethical management of natural resources, and public access to Coillte land,” he said.

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John Bagge

SUMMER 2012 42

THE CROKE Park agreement provides a similar cost-reduction framework to those used by private companies fighting to sustain market share as income, investment and staff numbers fall, according to IMPACT general secretary Shay Cody. He told a Joint Oireachtas Finance Committee hearing that most struggling private companies opted for staff reductions and changed work practices rather than pay cuts.

Mr Cody said public service pay cuts had cut gross incomes by an average of 14%, with a further 10% cut for new entrants. “While public servants understand the need for further substantial cost extraction, they are determined that it can be done without further erosion of their pay. And all the experience since the Croke Park agreement was negotiated shows that they are correct,” he said.

He said the Government intended to cut the public service workforce by 38,000 and to slash €3.5 billion off the pay and pension bill by 2015. “Maintaining the range and quality of core public services in this context requires significant changes to working practices, some of which, like reduced dependence on overtime and other premium payments, are themselves cost-reducing,” he said.

Meanwhile, IMPACT has stepped up its defence of the Croke Park agreement. Following much ill-informed criticism of the deal around the time of the budget, senior officials from IMPACT and other unions have met representatives of all the Dáil political groups.

Union business

IN SHORT Vita Cortex supportIMPACT PRESIDENT Kevin O’Malley and general secretary Shay Cody recently visited workers at the Vita Cortex plant in Cork, where 32 workers have been staging a sit-in against management claims that it can’t afford statutory redundancy payments owed to staff. Kevin O’Malley said: “These workers have made themselves a barrier against employers who want to evade their responsibilities. We stand shoulder to shoulder with them, as does every trade union member in the country.”

Increments neededTHE EXCHEQUER would save just €50 million if public service increments were frozen in 2012 – less than a fifth of the €250-300 million cited by some commentators. In a special update for TDs and senators, IMPACT general secretary Shay Cody said any move to freeze increments would hit the low paid hardest while leaving most top earners unscathed.

No license IMPACT HAS outlined its opposition to the Department of Transport’s decision to transfer responsibility for issuing drivers’ licences from local authorities to the Road Safety Authority. Launching a union submission, national secretary Peter Nolan said there was no public demand to centralise the service and no cost benefit analysis of the proposal had been produced.

Jobs gap THE IRISH Congress of Trade Unions has said there’s “no comfort” in the recent small drop in the live register numbers, which was probably due to emigration and lower labour force participation. ICTU’s economic adviser Paul Sweeney called the unemployment level a “national emergency” and said the increase in long-term unemployed – up 24,000 in a year – was very worrying.

IMPACT AND other unions will defend arrangements for paid long-term sick leave when talks on public service sick leave and its management start soon. The Government has signalled its intention to legislate to revise sick leave arrangements from this year.

Current arrangements generally allow up to six months fully-paid leave for certified sicknesses, followed by six months on half pay. IMPACT says a blanket reduction would do little to address any abuse of the system, but would have a disastrous effect on those who suffer catastrophic and life-threatening illnesses regardless of their previous sick leave record.

There have been press reports that management could seek to halve the amount of paid certified sick leave in all circumstances. It has also been speculated that management might seek to reduce the amount of uncertified sick leave available, despite the fact that, on average, civil servants take less than two days of the allowable seven days uncertified sick leave each year.

IMPACT general secretary Shay Cody said comparisons between sick leave levels in the public and private sectors were not always reliable and argued that management already had the tools to deal with any abuse of sick leave that may exist.

ImpaCT defends sick leave

Croke park is working

43

Water must stay publicTHE IRISH Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has pledged to resist any proposal to privatise the water sector. In a submission to the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government, ICTU criticised the failure to invest in water infrastructure and said that comparable European countries had robust standby arrangements to guarantee supply in emergencies.

IMPACT’s local government division helped draw up the ICTU submission, taking account of submissions from ten IMPACT local authority branches and the union’s local authority environmental staff vocational group. The combined union submission confirms the absolute necessity of retaining water in public ownership and calls for investment and strategic planning in the sector.

Union business

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

Union outsourcing pledge

WoRk & LIfE: THE MAGAzINE foR IMPACT MEMBERS

Impact defends sick leaveTANAISTE EAMoN Gilmore recently launched an IMPACT tribute to the late Evelyn owens, trade unionist and pioneer of women’s rights. Evelyn, a member of the union’s Dublin City branch, was the union’s first woman president before going on to become the first female Leas Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann and the first woman to chair the Labour Court.

She came to prominence in 1960 when successfully resisting attempts to introduce new local authority pay scales, which would have discriminated between men and women on foot of an arbitrator’s finding. The national executive of the Irish Local Government officers’ Union (ILGoU – now part of IMPACT) recommended acceptance of the finding on the basis that it finally introduced an arbitration scheme that would allow many other backed-up claims to be processed.

But a small group of female clerical officers successfully mobilised opinion against the proposed change. one of them, Sheila Simmons, co-authored the IMPACT appreciation with respected labour historian francis Devine.

As a founder member of the Association of Women officers of the Local Authorities of Ireland, Evelyn led the campaign to politicise the issue and ultimately achieved the objective of

Impact honours Evelyn Owens

equal pay for work of equal value in a political and cultural environment that did not recognise equality of women.

Go to www.impact.ie to download the Impact appreciation.

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.

co-authors Francis Devine and Sheila Simmons with tanaiste Eamon Gilmore at the Launch.

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The Hunger of the long distance runner

44 SUMMER 2012 Pho

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Sport

CRoSS CoUntRy runner and steeplechaser Fionnuala Britton is a household name in Irish sport. But until last December, when she won the gold at the European Cross Country championships in Slovenia, she was relatively unknown.

Her performance in the race was spectacular, it was the good news story that the country was looking for.

Britton dominated a field of top class athletes to take the European title and, upon her return, she graced newspapers pages front and back, taking her place in an exclusive gold medal club along with cross country runners like John treacy, Sonia o’Sullivan and Catherina McKiernan.

there is no denying that Britton deserves to be part of that elite club. She is by no means a one hit wonder. Her rise to the top of European cross country running has been a slow and steady one, albeit with plenty of bumps along the way.

As a young girl she would awake hours before school to run laps of her small back garden to get in some extra training. that story illustrates the work ethic and determination that has helped her get to where she is today.

those early morning garden sessions took place over ten years ago. Since then she has been on the European and world circuit trying to make her mark in athletics. Although she began her international career in 2001 it took five years of hard work before medals started to appear, taking the silver medal at the European under-23 championships.

In the following year she finished 14th in the senior race in the World Cross Country Championships and was 12th in the steeplechase at the World Championships.

In 2008 she competed at the olympic Games in Beijing but didn’t reach the final. A year later she finished just outside the top ten at the European Cross Country Championships in Dublin. In 2010 she finished 11th in the steeplechase final at the European Athletics championships. Although Britton was acquitting herself well internationally she was still not coming close to her ultimate goal, a senior medal.

At the end of 2010 it all came to ahead for Britton, competing in Albuferia in the same race she won in Slovenia. For most of the race she ran well, and looked in contention for a medal, but in the last moment she was pipped at the post for third place and the bronze medal. u

The Hunger of the long distance runner

Work & Life: The Magazine for iMPaCT MeMbers 45

The thorny issue of payment to gaa managers is one which has tormented the association on and off over the past 30 years. at times some comment or attempt to address the matter has brought it centre stage but for the most part it has been a case of ‘speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil’.

in fairness to current Director general Paraic Duffy he recently dragged the hotly debated subject right back into the spotlight. but when all is said and done – what ultimately will change? Very little you could argue.

even if counties had voted to implement an agreed expenses structure, who would ‘police’ what are

Pushing theenvelope

The disappointment was huge, right there and then britton decided that when the race came around again 12 months later she was going to win gold.

so she went about making it happen, with the help of her coach Chris Jones she made some changes to her routine.

The Wicklow athlete got a bit stronger, and as a result her confidence grew and her times improved. she put in a tough year but the determination to win gold kept her going.

from the moment the starter’s gun went off in slovenia last December, she looked in control. it was evident that her hard work had paid off and, one, by one she burned off her competitors to cruise to victory. britton returned to ireland an athletics hero but didn’t waste time savouring her victory. Within weeks she’s beaten another world class field to win the great edinburgh Cross Country, and then she added the antrim Cross Country gold to her collection too. The olympics were only around the corner so she knew she had work to do.

fionnuala has already qualified for London in the steeplechase but, as is typical in one so determined, she is not satisfied with that and she hopes to make the time for the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres too. if what she has achieved in the last year is anything to go by she will make that happen l

often referred to as ‘under the table payments’? and how? it’s impossible to monitor if county boards themselves are not prepared to admit that they have either engaged in payments of this nature or turned a blind eye. Particularily when some benign benefactor was prepared to ‘sponsor’ a particular manager they hoped would bring success to their native county.

gaelic games, at an elite level, is played by amateurs who prepare as close as they can to a professional level. one successful team are believed to have trained 40 times during the month of January.

Likewise the time investment from managers is massive. some top bosses are believed to spend 40 hours a week on the team’s involvement and preparation. This suggests that the status quo of looking after managers will continue to prevail. some counties will pay vouched expenses while others will continue to ‘turn a blind eye’. l

46 SPRING 2011

Just answer five easyquestions and you could win €50.YOU COULD add €50 to your wallet orpurse by answering five easy questionsand sending your entry, name andaddress to Roisin Nolan, Work & Lifeprize quiz, IMPACT, Nerney’s Court,Dublin 1. Send your entry by Friday 1stJune 2012. We’ll send €50 to the firstcompleted entry pulled from the hat.*You’ll find the answers in this issue ofWork & Life.

1. Which of the following have not been found in Mayo libraries?

A CondomsB CabbagesC Viagra.

2. How many years has Leonard Peltier spent in jail?

A 16 yearsB 26 yearsC 36 years.

3. Which Irish author was formerly an inspector of petty sessions?

A Bram StokerB James JoyceC Cecilia Ahern.

4. What did long-distance swimmerAnne Marie Ward encounter?

A JellyfishB Mermaids C The Loch Ness Monster.

5. Who’ll be the oldest performer at Eurovision?

A Natalya PugachyovaB Englebert HumperdinkC Dustin the Turkey.

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 1stJune 2012. The editor’s decision is final. That’s it!

win€50

Win Win Win

Prize quiz

Winners! The winners from competitions in the spring issue were:

1911 Comp: Jane Egan, Wicklow Branch Quiz: Fiona Doolan, SNACrossword: Jim O’Sullivan, Irish Aviation Authority Survey: Marian Fogarty, Limerick

Lots more competitions to enter in this issue!

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 1st June 2012.

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

Across1. If this be the food of love, then play

on, said Duke Orsino (5)5. See the caper in grant ices (5)8. Praise after the brief application

and show your appreciation (7)9. Penalised (5)10. To dig deep (5)11. See glad law become a duck (7)14. Broadcast the young (5)17. Peggy loses a g and gains a t for the

country (5)20A, 15D, The place for trains, I guess

(7,7)21. The neat one could erupt (4)22. This animal sounds very sweet (4)23. Lived round data can be verified (9)24. The peal of bells (5)27. The beast turns and hits (5)30. Lose oar and get the spray (7)32. Common sight behind the bar (5)33. Place of rest (5)34. Relation loses its head and shows

high spirits (7)35. To mix the dough sounds like you

really want it (5)36. To warn off (5)Down1. Ordinary out of uniform clothes (5)2. Prince of Persia.. The _____ of time

(film) (5)3. To scrounge (5)4. A defect in golf lawns (4)5. The French sum can mess with your

head (5)6. Provisional count at election time (5)7. To teach can turn nasty (5)

12. Eclair in med for one who sounds off (9)13. Type of vegetable (9)15. See 20A (7,7)16. To clear up, decipher (7)18. Get the pan in Id dirge out (7)19. Festival in back page antics (7)24. The Mayo airport and pilgrimage

destination (5)25. Steer around interior of building (5)26. Flavoured and fastened (5)27. Not so flavoured this time (5)28. To terminate or discontinue (5)29. Erse with point will scoff and scorn (5)31. Selects can upset the posts (4)

HOW TO PLAY: Fill in the grid so that every row, columnand 3x3 box contains the digits 1–9.There is no maths involved. You solve itwith reasoning and logic.

S U DO K U

Easy

win€50

Crossword composed by Maureen Harkin

PRIZE CROSSWORD

SUMMER 201246

Difficult

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8

9 10

11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19

20

21 22

23

24 25 26 27 28 29

30 31

32 33

34

35 36

2 8 1

8 9 6

6 2 4

5 6 8 9 2

1 8

3 4 5 9 7

2 7 3

4 3 9

1 9 8

6 4 1 2

6 8 7

4 8 9

9 5

3 5 7 1

4 7

9 2 5

4 8 6

6 9 2 4

The survey

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2. What did you think of the layout, style and pictures inthe summer 2012 issue of Work & Life?

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3. What were your favourite three articles?

1 __________________________________________________

2 __________________________________________________

3 __________________________________________________

4. What were your least favourite articles?

1 __________________________________________________

2 __________________________________________________

3 __________________________________________________

5. What subjects would you like to see in future issuesof Work & Life?

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2 __________________________________________________

3 __________________________________________________

6. What did you think of the balance between unionnews and other articles?

The balance is about right o

I want more union news o

I want less union news o

7. Any other comments? ______________________________

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Name ________________________________________________

Address ______________________________________________

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IMPACT branch ______________________________________

How do you likeWork & Life?WE HOPE you enjoyed this issue of Work & Life, the

magazine for IMPACT members. We want to hear yourviews, 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.

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47WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

SUMMER 201248

Commercial membership services

IMPACT has facilitated the provision of a number of national membership services and discount schemes on behalf of its members. These include Additional Voluntary Contribution Schemes (Pensions),Life Assurance, Salary Protection in the case of illness and Car, House and Travel Insurance Schemes. A number of local discount schemes are also negotiated by local branches.

The Union uses the size and composition of its membership base and, where possible, competition between the various service providers, to seek the best possible deals for the widest possible sectionsof our membership. It is probable that the majority of members will get better value from these schemes than if they sought the same service individually. However, this will not be true in all cases andthere will be occasions where individual members may, because of their specific circumstances, be able to get better value elsewhere. It is not possible always to ensure that all schemes will be acces-sible equally to all members and the scheme underwriters will not depart totally from their normal actuarial or risk assessment procedures and rules.

IMPACT does not make any claims as to the quality or reliability of any of these products/services and while advising members of the availability of the National Membership Services and DiscountSchemes does not endorse or recommend any particular product or service. IMPACT's role is that of facilitator to ensure that such schemes are available to its members. All contracts are directly betweenthe product/service provider and the individual member. IMPACT is not in any way a party to these contracts and will not accept any responsibility or liability arising from any act or omission on the partof the product or service provider. Neither IMPACT nor any member of its staff receives any fees or commissions or other rewards from these product or service providers arising from such schemes.

While IMPACT does occasionally provide such product/service providers with limited information regarding IMPACT branch and/or workplace representatives for the purpose of advertising such schemes,the Union does not make any personal data relating to individual Union members available to them for any purpose.

The Union requires that product/service providers agree to ensure that all such schemes comply with all lawful requirements including the Equal Status Act 2000.

Advertisements for agreed membership services will have an logo on them.

Some of the companies providing agreed membership services may offer other products or services (that are not as a result of any agreement or arrangement with IMPACT) directly to IMPACT members.The Union has no role whatsoever in relation to such products or services. Likewise, other product or service providers may make offers directly to IMPACT members through advertisements in the Unionnewspaper or otherwise. These do not arise as a result of agreements or arrangements with IMPACT and the Union does not ask members to consider availing of such products/services and accepts noresponsibility whatsoever for any such offers.

The product/service providers with which IMPACT has agreed the provision of membership services and/or discount schemes are as follows:

Brassington & Co. Ltd. Cornmarket Group Financial Services Ltd.Travel Insurance – all Divisions. Car Insurance – all Divisions.

Salary Protection and Life Assurance – Local Government and Health Divisions only.

Group Insurance Services (GIS) Marsh Financial Services Ltd.Car Insurance – all Divisions. AVC Schemes – all Divisions excluding Municipal Employees.House Insurance – all Divisions. Salary Protection and Life Assurance – Civil Service and Services & Enterprises Divisions only.

December 2004

DISCLAIMER (Approved by CEC 10th December 2004)

FACILITATED