Fórsa Members at Oberstown to Escalate Strike Action Over Staffing

Fórsa union members at the Oberstown Children Detention Campus are escalating their industrial action, planning a 12-hour strike followed by a 48-hour work stoppage beginning August 31. This marks the fourth week of planned weekly work stoppages in an ongoing dispute over resourcing and staffing levels at the facility.

“

This industrial action is taking place to highlight the issue of safe staffing at Oberstown.

Deirdre O'Connell, Fórsa Assistant General Secretary, stated that the industrial action aims to highlight the critical issue of safe staffing. She emphasized that social care workers at Oberstown operate in a complex environment, prioritizing the safety of the young people in their care. The union has confirmed there will be no derogations for social care work during the strike, with only campus catering exempt.

“

These are social care workers working in an environment with a wide variety of needs, with an absolute focus on the safety of the young people in their care.

Oberstown management has voiced strong concerns, warning that the planned escalation, particularly without derogations for essential services, could create "a direct and unacceptable risk to the safety, security and wellbeing of staff, young people and all those on campus." The center fears the rights and welfare of the young people could be directly affected, stating that "Children should not be used, directly or indirectly, as a means of escalating an industrial dispute."

“

a direct and unacceptable risk to the safety, security and wellbeing of staff, young people and all those on campus.

The center highlighted its proactive efforts over the past year to bolster staffing, including the recruitment of 23 frontline staff. It also reported a nearly 29% reduction in recorded campus incidents, from 191 year-to-date in 2025 to 136 in the same period of 2026. Oberstown is urging Fórsa to reconsider the escalation and manage any industrial action in a way that safeguards the welfare of the young people and staff, while remaining open to constructive engagement to resolve the dispute.

“

Children should not be used, directly or indirectly, as a means of escalating an industrial dispute.