More than 300 SIPTU staff at University College Hospital in Galway are to proceed with their 24 hour strike today. Talks to avert the strike broke down at 8 p.m yesterday and pickets will be mounted from 6 a.m. today until the same time tomorrow.
Cleaning, portering, catering, switchboard and security services will be affected as a result. The decision of SIPTU members to strike appears to have taken management by surprise and a spokeswoman for the hospital was unable to say last night what services it would be able to provide.
The dispute is over the contracting out of catering work. SIPTU says it is concerned catering jobs could be casualised in the same way as cleaning jobs over recent years.