Ambulance drivers are to consider what level of emergency cover they will provide in the Eastern Regional Health Authority if Thursday's strike goes ahead. The drivers provide emergency cover in Wicklow and Kildare. In Dublin they are involved mainly in transferring patients to hospitals.
The ERHA requested emergency cover yesterday. The stoppage is for 36 hours.
A spokesman for the authority said its negotiators had suggested a joint referral of the dispute to the Labour Relations Commission on Friday after talks broke down. "Even at this late stage we would appeal to them to refer the matter to the LRC."
However, the dispute appeared set to escalate yesterday after authority ambulance drivers met their SIPTU colleagues in Dublin Fire Brigade to request support. The latter provide emergency services in Dublin.
The dispute is about the filling of five vacancies in the ambulance control room in Tara Street, Dublin.
