Talks between IMPACT and the Western Health Board about proposed job cuts have adjourned until Tuesday with little agreement between the two sides, the trade union's secretary for health, Mr Kevin Callinan, said last night.
The union has instructed its members not to co-operate with the shedding of 169 jobs mainly in the clerical and administrative areas. The cuts are proposed by the WHB to achieve savings under the Government's cost-saving programme. The health board, which said the meeting was constructive, is to provide more detailed information at Tuesday's meeting.
Meanwhile, planned improvements in administrative services for child psychiatry teams, for autism services and for palliative care services for people with terminal illnesses in Kildare, south Dublin and west Wicklow may be postponed to meet Government targets, the chief executive officer of the South Western Area Health Board has said.
Mr Pat Donnelly told health board members he did not expect job losses but that savings would be achieved through the non-filling of new posts. According to a report in the Kildare Nationalist, some health board members reacted angrily to the non-filling of posts in Naas General Hospital. These include clerical and administrative support to radiology and anaesthetics departments.
Opposition to cuts in all health board areas is expected to be signalled by the IMPACT health executive when it meets on Monday.