Unions plan action over Tallaght job cuts threat

The crisis at Tallaght Hospital is set to deepen this week, with new moves towards industrial action and the expected announcement of about 100 job cuts.

The Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, faces a Labour Party no confidence motion in the Dail tomorrow over his handling of the issue.

Contract staff in specialist medical areas are likely to be hardest hit by the redundancies to be announced, probably tomorrow. About 100 staff whose contracts run out at the end of February will be laid off, including around 25 doctors.

Unions representing 1,800 staff at the hospital meet today to plan industrial action in protest at any compulsory redundancies. Most unions issued strike notice last week, after ballots produced overwhelming votes in favour of industrial action. The Irish Medical Organisation, which represents 101 non-consultant doctors at the hospital, will announce the result of its ballot on Wednesday.

The job cuts will be revealed in the 1999 service plan to be presented by management to Mr Cowen this week. The Department of Health has said the hospital will get no more than its £64.69 million allocation this year, despite management calls for an additional £4 million.

Labour's health spokeswoman, Ms Liz McManus, yesterday accused the Minister of allowing Tallaght Hospital to slide into crisis. "What should be the jewel in the crown in the public hospital system has been hit by gross under-funding and the loss of its chief executive," she said.

Ms McManus said it was unacceptable that Mr Cowen refused to acknowledge the scale of problems in the health service. "The failures of the Minister have been of such gravity that the Opposition would be failing in its duty if it did not seek his removal from office at the earliest possible date."

She also criticised the growth in hospital waiting lists and the alleged failure of the Minister to live up to promises made to the disabled when he was in opposition.