HSE support workers at University Hospital Waterford are to be balloted for industrial action.

Hundreds of community workers have marched to the Department of Finance this afternoon over pay and pensions.

Hundreds of secondary schools remain shut as a result of a nationwide strike which has impacted 200,000 students.

More than half of Go Safe speed detecting vans could be unavailable due to industrial action from Saturday.

Hospital consultants will be balloted for strike action in September unless talks take place to address the "crisis" in consultant recruitment.

Talks aimed at ending the health support dispute will get underway at the Workplace Relations Commission tomorrow.

There was no rest for Joan Costelloe, a cook employed at University Hospital, who awoke before dawn to prepare “special meals”, for patients unable to eat or swallow hard food.

The paediatric service at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) in Tallaght and at Crumlin Hospital will be impacted by the planned industrial action by SIPTU tomorrow, Children’s Health Ireland have said.

A 24-hour stoppage looks set to go ahead after talks between SIPTU, the HSE and Department of Public Expenditure at the Workplace Relations Commission yesterday failed to reach an agreement.

It follows two days of talks at the Workplace Relations Commission between Siptu and the HSE, which will resume on Monday.

Considerable disruption to hospital appointments is still likely today despite the suspension of a planned 24-hour work stoppage by 10,000 health support workers.

Health support workers in 38 hospitals and health care facilities have announced strike action for June 20.

There will be 36 hospitals impacted by strike action by some 17,000 support workers who are in dispute with their employer over a jjob evaluation scheme.

SIPTU has been balloting workers in health service support grades in 36 hospitals in a dispute over pay.

Three in five nurses have voted to accept Labour Court proposals aimed at resolving a dispute that triggered three days of strike action earlier this year.

Ambulance personnel nationwide are to go on strike for 24 hours in a further escalation of a row over union representation with the HSE.

Five days of strike action by Community Employment supervisors will take place next month.

Ambulance workers will hold a fifth day of industrial action at stations across the country today.

Up to 500 ambulance staff nationwide are to hold a fifth strike tomorrow in a stand-off with the HSE over their right to be represented by a trade union of their choice.

The ambulance personnel branch of the Psychiatric Nurses Association is striking for a second consecutive day today.

Ambulance staff nationwide are to strike for two days from tomorrow in an ongoing row over the choice of union representation with the HSE.

The Psychiatric Nurses Association has suspended next week's strike action.

Teaching unions will stake their claim for more money for members, especially new entrants, if it emerges that nurses get more pay.

"What struck me were the chants that I heard (from the picket lines) proclaiming the need for safe staffing, while the key staff essential for running the services in the building behind them are outside on the picket line," said Minister Harris.

Some nurses would get pay increases of 40% next year if the government gave in to their demands.