HSE: Four-week freeze for job losses

THE HSE last night agreed to a four-week moratorium on job losses among its temporary staff while talks between union officials and health managers continue.

In return, the IMPACT union has agreed to lift its restrictions on the provision of financial information while the talks process is underway.

Talks at the Labour Relations Commission broke up at about 8pm yesterday evening.

The parties have agreed to continue negotiations on the substantive issues in the three-month-old dispute, such as the HSE’s staffing policy and its stance on agreements and third party recommendations covering working conditions for IMPACT members.

IMPACT national secretary Kevin Callinan said last night that other elements of the union’s industrial action, apart from the decision to lift restrictions on the provision of financial information for four weeks, remained in place pending a resolution on the substantive issues.

The union’s members are refusing to cover posts left vacant by the HSE’s staffing restrictions, refusing to cooperate with external HSE advisers or the HSE ‘transformation programme’, and blocking non-emergency overtime and out-of-hours work.

Full emergency and essential cover is provided.

Mr Callinan said IMPACT’s industrial action had brought the HSE to the negotiating table for the first time since its staffing restrictions were imposed last September by “successfully targeting senior management” while avoiding adverse effects on patients and community service users.

“We want to use the four-week LRC-brokered process to convince the HSE to reassess its damaging staffing policies and prioritise the interests of patients, while respecting the people who serve them. We believe a deal can be done if HSE management shows some imagination and commitment to the people it serves,” he said.

The two sides are expected to continue high-level talks and report to the LRC on the outcome in four weeks’ time.