STAFF AT OBERSTOWN Children Detention Campus are to stage a 72-hour strike next week as a dispute over staffing and resources resumes.<\/p>\n
Trade union F\u00f3rsa has served notice that its members will stop work from 12.01am next Monday, 5 October, until 12.01am on Thursday, 8 October.<\/p>\n
Industrial action at the State\u2019s only child-detention facility had been paused following talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in August.<\/p>\n
However, F\u00f3rsa said today that an agreement reached through those talks has not been fully honoured by Oberstown management or the Department of Children, Disability and Equality.<\/p>\n
The union said a commitment had been made to submit a business case to the Department of Public Expenditure by last week, but claimed this had not happened.<\/p>\n
F\u00f3rsa official Deirdre O\u2019Connell said the failure to implement the agreement had undermined members\u2019 confidence in the process and left concerns around staffing and resources unresolved.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe escalation to a 72-hour work stoppage reflects the seriousness of the situation and the absence of meaningful progress in resolving the dispute,\u201d O\u2019Connell said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur members paused their industrial action in good faith to allow space for agreement, but that goodwill has not been reciprocated.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Connell said staff continued to have concerns about safe staffing levels and the ability to provide a safe environment for both workers and young people at the campus.<\/p>\n
F\u00f3rsa said it remained available for talks but warned that further industrial action could follow if the dispute remains unresolved.<\/p>\n