The planned public service strike tomorrow will significantly disrupt services across a range of areas including health, education, local authorities, the courts and public administration.
However commercial State companies such as those in the transport area will not be affected.
THE CIVIL SERVICE
In the civil service the majority of staff are expected to take part in the stoppage. In the main, contingency cover will only be provided in areas such as the Coastguard or in Met Éireann, where there could otherwise be a potential threat to life. The Department of Finance said that discussions were continuing on provision of a limited customs service at airports and ports.
Court sittings will be cancelled, except in emergency cases. In the country’s jails, prison officers will strike for one hour at different times across the country between 9am and 11am. In the Oireachtas, the Seanad will not sit and some operations of the Dáil will be curtailed. There will be no adjournment debates.
The Department of Finance has said no public offices or telephone line services such as those run by the Revenue Commissioners, the Department of Social and Family Affairs or the Passport Office would be operational.
LOCAL AUTHORITIES
In local authorities around the county the majority of staff are expected to take part in the strike. However trade unions have withdrawn plans for thousands of their members to go on strike tomorrow in five local authority areas which have been the worst hit by flood and storm damage.
Siptu said that its outdoor staff members in counties Cork, Clare and Galway would continue to work on Tuesday. Impact said last night that it had withdrawn strike notice in Galway County Council,
Cork City Council, Cork County Council, Clare County Council and Galway City Council.
The union also said that it was also deferring its strike action in Waterways Ireland and that it would provide emergency services in Roscommon and Athlone.
Elsewhere in local authorities nationwide minimum emergency/essential cover will be provided in relation to fire and water services.
The Department of Finance said that local authorities will not be in a position to open offices to the public on Tuesday.
EDUCATION
The Department of Finance said that virtually all schools and educational institutions will be, in effect, closed. It said that some school principals are expected to attend for a brief period to deal with situations where students do turn up. In such cases the pupils will be returned to parents.
THE HEALTH SERVICE
Over 16,000 people face having their hospital appointments or procedures deferred. All non-emergency hospital procedures will be cancelled today and tomorrow. Day case activity will continue as normal today but
procedures which require admission to hospital will not take place today in the lead up to tomorrow's strike. All out patient clinics scheduled for tomorrow will also be postponed.
Emergency departments and ambulance services will operate a limited service tomorrow. It is anticipated that there will be a 'Christmas Day level' of cover in hospitals on the day and the HSE is advising the public not to present to emergency departments unless it is a genuine emergency.
The HSE's Swine Flu Vaccination clinics will also be closed tomorrow. Voluntary intellectual disability services, care of the elderly services as well as home help and palliative care services have been exempted from the strike. Hospital services such as intensive/critical care, burns units, dialysis, oncolology/Chemotherapy units, neurosurgery and maternity have also been excluded from the scope of the industrial strike.
There will be emergency/out of hours level of cover akin to Christmas Day staffing rosters for wards, emergency departments, radiography, ambulance service, theatres and recovery, sexual assault units, drug treatment, phlebotomy (excluding Crumlin Hospital which is exempted).
Public Health Nurses will provide weekend cover level of services and Mental Health Nurses will provide emergency cover. Impact and the Irish Nurses' Organisation have withdrawn strike notice at the Mercy hospital in Cork. Siptu said that its hospital support services staff at the Mercy Hospital and St Finbarr's in Cork will also be working tomorrow to help deal with the flood crisis. Further exemptions in flood-hit areas are expected to be considered today.
THE GARDAÍ
The Department of Justice said on Friday that all services provided by sworn gardai will operate as normal. It said that certain services provided by civilian support staff will be reduced or will be provided by gardaí
However gardaí may not issue penalty point or fixed charge notices to motorists tomorrow as part of the industrial action. The Garda Representative Association (GRA) has advised members that they should continue to enforce all summary legislation tomorrow but that they should take cognisance of the non-necessity to issue the fixed penalty notices.
These notices are issued for speeding, failure to wear a seatbelt or driving while holding a mobile phone, or dangerous overtaking, among other offences.
SOCIAL WELFARE
Payment to some 55,000 Social Welfare customers, who were due to collect their weekly payment on Wednesday, will be delayed by one day as a result of the industrial action.
The Department of Social and Family Affairs said yesterday that all its offices will be closed to the public tomorrow.
It said that all customers who are due to sign-on for Jobseeker's Benefit or Jobseeker's Allowance on 24th November at Social Welfare Local Offices or Branch Offices will not now be required to do so.
The Department said that some 35,000 customers who are on short term schemes and whose weekly payment is due to be paid into their bank or financial institution on Wednesday will experience a delay of one day in their payment as a result of the action. The categories affected are Maternity Benefit, Illness Benefit, a small number of Jobseekers payments and supplementary welfare payment. Customers who are paid by Social Services Card through their post office are not expected to be affected".
"Customers affected who are getting a payment by cheque A further 20,000 customers who are getting a payment by cheque for Illness Benefit, supplementary welfare payment, Maternity Benefit and small number of jobseekers are also going to be delayed by one day", it said.