Cavan General's laundry staff to strike

SIPTU members providing laundry services at Cavan General Hospital, yesterday (Tuesday, 24th May) served notice to management that they will withdraw their labour from Wednesday, 8th June, in a dispute concerning the outsourcing of the service to a private company.

SIPTU Organiser, Sean Nolan, said: “Our members voted in a ballot to take strike action in order to force a resolution to a dispute concerning the provision of laundry services at Cavan General Hospital and surrounding areas that has been ongoing for four years.

'A report issued in October 2012 dealing with the provision of laundry services within HSE Hospitals has never been implemented by management at Cavan General Hospital. This year management took a unilateral decision to de-commission the boilers within the laundry area in Cavan General Hospital. Since this action the service has been outsourced to a private operator.”
 
He added: “This outsourcing of our members work, which is a breach of local and national agreements, left them with no option but to vote for strike action. This action is aimed at bringing management into negotiations that are focused on finding an agreed resolution to this dispute.”