THE TRADE union Siptu has warned of possible strike action at some of the best-known private hospitals in the country over plans to reduce pay unilaterally for staff from the beginning of January.
Siptu’s national health division chief Paul Bell said yesterday the Bon Secours group of hospitals was seeking to introduce cuts of between 4 per cent and 5 per cent from January, while the Mater Private Hospital wanted reductions of between 5 per cent and 7 per cent.
He said staff employed in the Bon Secours hospital group would hold general meetings in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Tralee before Christmas “for the purpose of mandating their union on the appropriate response to the unilateral pay cuts”.
Representatives of a number of unions are expected to meet today to consider the issue of pay cuts at the Mater Private.
Mr Bell said Siptu and other unions such as Impact and the Irish Nurses Organisation would act in a co-ordinated manner in response to the private hospitals’ proposed pay cuts.
Last week the Independent Hospitals Association of Ireland (IHAI)said a number of its members would be introducing cost-saving measures in January “following the recent unsatisfactory outcome of negotiations with health insurers and the Budget cuts in public spending in the health sector”.
The IHAI said consultants at some member hospitals had already taken a pay cut of 5 per cent since July, and there had been “discussion with staff about the fact that reductions across the cost base, including payroll, may be required in the interests of maintaining as many jobs as possible”.
“The IHAI members regret that these cuts are necessary. However, the operating environment for private healthcare has come under pressure over the last few years, not just from the deteriorating economic conditions, but also from a very significant increase in competition and the ongoing high level of investment required to keep up with the latest technological advances in healthcare.
“The sector needs to take this action in the interests of maintaining a strong, technologically-advanced private healthcare sector in Ireland, delivering the highest standard of patient care, it said.
Mr Bell yesterday accused the employers’ body Ibec of “actively orchestrating” the pay cuts in the private hospital sector.
He said it was “using the staged confrontation to not only drive wages down, but also to force the Government to amend the Payment of Wages Acts which both these employers are in breach of”.
Last week the general secretary of the Irish Nurses Organisation Liam Doran said the private hospitals were acting in an opportunist and illegal manner to cut pay at this stage to capitalise on the actions of the Government in the Budget.
He said the organisation would be convening meetings of its members in the hospitals concerned to initiate a ballot for strike action in the event of hospital managements proceeding to impose the pay cuts.