13/12/2018

Ambulance Strike Postponed After HSE Threatens Injunction

A planned strike by some ambulance personnel has been deferred after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) threatened to seek a court injunction to prevent it going ahead.

Staff in the National Ambulance Service who are represented by the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) had planned one day of industrial action on Wednesday 19th December, over a dispute about union representation rights and the deduction of union subscriptions from pay.

PNA said on Thursday 13 December that the strike involving paramedics, advanced paramedics, and emergency medical technicians has been rescheduled for Tuesday 22 January.

The PNA is requesting that the Workplace Relations Commission get involved on both the substantive issues and on the refusal by the HSE to negotiate a contingency plan for the action.

Union sources revealed on Tuesday 11 December that the health authority was seeking a court injunction to stop the strike taking place next week and would not cooperate in the development of a plan to cope with demand while PNA members left their duties to picket.

It is believed that almost 500 members of the ambulance service subscribe to the PNA and will take action on 22 January.

The HSE has maintained that it does not recognise the PNA as a representative body for ambulance staff personnel.

The HSE said last month that recognising the union would undermine agreements in place with the Siptu union and would impair good industrial relations.



(JG)

Related Irish News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

04 July 2019
Over 500 Ambulance Personnel To Protest
Ambulance personnel members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) are set to protest at parliament buildings today, Thursday 04 July, in their continued campaign for recognised union status.
21 January 2019
Talks Ongoing To Avoid Nursing Strike
Talks aimed at avoiding a strike by 43,000 nurses later this month are continuing today. Union representatives are negotiating with the Health Service Executive (HSE) after last week's discussions ended without a breakthrough.
08 February 2012
PNA Warns Of Impact Of Early Retirement
In a survey of its branches across the country the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) has found that up to 360 frontline nurses are to retire from the psychiatric/mental health services under the Government's early retirement scheme.
21 January 2019
Fianna Fáil Call For Intervention To Prevent Ambulance Strike
Fianna Fáil members have called on the Government to intervene and take action to prevent an ambulance service strike planned for Tuesday 22 January. The party's Health Spokesperson has urged the Minister for Health, Simon Harris, and the Health Service Executive (HSE) to act before 500 emergency care providers take industrial action.
26 February 2008
Pressure On HSE Grows As 999 Service Threatened
Emergency services throughout Ireland could be severely affected if anticipated strike action by ambulance staff goes ahead. Over 1,200 Health Service Executive (HSE) employees have voted in support of industrial action over proposals to privatise the paramedic sector.