Health unions issue notice of industrial action to HSE
Michael Bolton
Fórsa and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) have served notice of industrial action to the HSE on Monday.
The two health unions served three weeks’ notice of the action. Union members in both the HSE and Section 38 voluntary hospitals have been instructed to engage in the action, commencing with a work-to-rule and other non-cooperation actions, from Monday, March 31st.
This marks an escalation in the dispute over the effect of the HSE’s ‘Pay and Numbers Strategy’ which imposed a fixed employment ceiling across all health services.
Following the serving of notice to the HSE and Section 38 Voluntary Hospitals, INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “INMO members voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action last November to send a clear message to the HSE that moratoriums and severely restricting the recruitment of patient-facing posts is in breach of many safe staffing agreements between healthcare unions and the HSE.
"Nurses, midwives and other safety-critical professionals within the public health service must have a greater say in how hospital wards and community care areas are staffed.
Fórsa’s head of Health & Welfare, Ashley Connolly said “members have continued to express frustration over the crude imposition of staff cuts since the recruitment embargo, and the replacement of the embargo with the HSE’s ‘Pay and Numbers Strategy’ last July. Part of this so called strategy was the loss of thousands of previously sanctioned posts.
"Ireland’s population is growing and it is also an ageing population. These factors demand a more robust approach to workforce planning in our Health Service. An approach that doesn’t involve spending millions on private for profit management consultancy, whose main advice appears to be the suppression of health posts that need to be filled.”
Both unions have advised that other phased actions, including work stoppages, will be considered should there be a requirement to escalate the dispute.