Ambulance dispute talks to resume on Monday

By Cillian Sherlock, Press Association

A planned paramedic strike next week has been called off as engagement involving unions, the HSE and the Labour Court is to continue.

The Labour Court held a meeting with unions representing workers in the National Ambulance Service (NAS) on Thursday, and a separate engagement with the HSE.

Paramedics and emergency medical technicians in Siptu and Unite staged a 24-hour strike on Tuesday this week amid a dispute over pay and conditions.

A further work stoppage was planned for next Tuesday but has been called off pending direct talks between unions and the HSE at the Labour Court on Monday.

However, a work-to-rule action by ambulance workers continues.

Earlier, Siptu ambulance sector organiser John McCamley said members were “looking for a sign that the HSE are serious”.

The unions say qualifications, clinical responsibilities and operational duties of emergency medical technicians (EMT), paramedics, advanced paramedics, paramedic specialists and paramedic supervisors have expanded significantly in recent years.

They also say a 5 per cent increase recommended under a previous process has not been delivered.

The court first held a meeting with the unions before it held a separate engagement with the HSE.

Speaking outside the Labour Court on Thursday morning, McCamley said: “The court is going to see if it can assist in this dispute.

“We’re hopeful the parties will arrive without any pre-conditions.”

The unions want the HSE to drop pre-conditions around its pay proposal which critics have said would see a reduction in the number of trained paramedics in a crew – and because of changes to overtime, could see some pay decrease.

McCamley said there was an “easy solution” to the dispute – which would be implementing recommendations around pay from a previous independent report.

“Our members are of the view that over the last 15-20 years, they’ve delivered on modernisation and changes and that hasn’t been respected.

“So we’re looking for a sign that the HSE are serious, they want to engage and resolve this.”

He added: “Our members don’t want to be on strike, they want to serve the community, they want to serve the public.

“And we want to resolve this as quick as possible.”

McCamley said members remained “ready” to continue with further industrial action.

Elsewhere, Tánaiste Simon Harris said he was “really grateful to both sides” for going into the meeting, and to the Labour Court for offering to intervene.

He said: “This is a very serious issue.

“Our paramedics, our ambulance service do an absolutely brilliant job and our HSE have a very important job to do as well.”

Harris said there had been long-running efforts to try to find a resolution.

He added: “I would say to everybody – I don’t need to say this to union members or people on the front line, they know how crucial their work is – obviously, when it comes to things like our ambulance service, these are literally life and death matters.

“And therefore I think it’s in everybody’s interest to resolve this as quickly as possible.”

Unions said members left the picket lines to respond to calls involving life-threatening situations, having agreed contingency plans with the HSE during the dispute.

A further work stoppage had also been scheduled for May 26th, with additional action planned during June if the dispute is not resolved.