National Ambulance Service staff have called off a 72-hour strike that was due to start on Tuesday after progress was made in talks between health service management and unions at the Labour Court.
No agreement on the key issues around pay, staffing and grading has been reached between the parties, but the Siptu and Unite unions have agreed to stand down the industrial action as progress has been made and the Labour Court will now issue a new recommendation.
The two sides were involved in the talks for three days this week, with Thursday’s extended session, which ran until 10pm, yielding enough movement for the unions to go back to their members.
“We are still in a process,” said Siptu sector organiser John McCamley, “but we felt there was enough movement to stand the action down in order for the court to continue its work.”
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The dispute relates to the implementation of a 2020 report on pay and other issues at the ambulance service. Paramedics, advanced paramedics and emergency medical technicals want increased pay in recognition of what they say are substantially changed work practices and increased responsibilities related to the modernisation of the service over two decades.
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The HSE and the ambulance service offered pay increases of between 3 and 14 per cent last year, but sought further work changes from staff in return.
Those proposals were agreed to by the unions but subsequently rejected by substantial majorities in ballots of the 2,000 members, the majority of whom are Siptu members.
“While this engagement was difficult and challenging at times, we believe that significant progress has been made,” McCamley said following Thursday night’s talks.
“We remain in process, but the Labour Court has requested more time to deliberate on some of the issues in dispute. We are hopeful that this process will bring this long-standing dispute to a resolution.”
In a statement, the HSE welcomed the suspension of the action saying it had “engaged extensively over the last week with the unions in intensive and constructive talks under the auspices of the Labour Court and we are grateful for their support in bringing us to this stage”.
“We look forward to the publication of the Labour Court recommendations and bringing matters to a conclusion through the established industrial relations processes.”
The Irish Patients’ Association also welcomed the news. “In the interests of patient safety and continuity of emergency care, this is a positive and important development for patients and families across the country,” it said.
“We also acknowledge the immense clinical responsibility carried by ambulance personnel working in increasingly pressurised conditions and hope the current process can now secure a fair and lasting resolution.”
