Siptu says industrial action suspended after talks progress
By Cillian Sherlock, Press Association
A planned 72-hour work stoppage for ambulance workers next week has been stood down, unions said, following progress in talks with the HSE.
An ongoing work-to-rule will be stood down at noon on Friday to allow the Labour Court process to continue.
John McCamley, the ambulance sector organiser for Siptu, said: “While this engagement was difficult and challenging at times, we believe that significant progress has been made.
We are hopeful that this process will bring this long-standing dispute to a resolution
“We remain in process, but the Labour Court has requested more time to deliberate on some of the issues in dispute.
“We are hopeful that this process will bring this long-standing dispute to a resolution.”
Siptu and Unite workers had been engaged in a work-to-rule amid the dispute over pay and conditions and had already carried out a 24-hour work stoppage last week.
The unions suspended a planned 48-hour stoppage for this week as they entered into direct talks with the HSE at the Labour Court on Monday.
Those talks continued on Tuesday and Thursday.
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 five per cent increase recommended under a previous process has not been delivered.
The unions want the HSE to drop pre-conditions around its previous 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.
Unite spokesman Eoin Drummey also confirmed the move, which he said followed “extremely difficult and challenging” talks.
He said the union believed significant progress had been made over longstanding pay issues and all parties were awaiting recommendations from the Labour Court.
