Dental staff vote for industrial action over plans to cut hours

TEACHERS at Cork University Dental School and Hospital have voted overwhelmingly for industrial action if the college proceeds with its plan to introduce work practices changes on Monday to deal with a funding shortfall.

The dental school and hospital plans to cut sessions provided by 24 part-time clinical teachers as part of a package of cost-saving measures it is implementing to deal with a cut in funding from the Health Service Executive and Higher Education Authority.

The clinical teachers, who are paid by the session and are members of the Irish Dental Association (IDA), have voted in favour of industrial action if teaching hours are reduced by 23%, a move they claim will also result in the closure of clinics for patients.

IDA chief executive Fintan Hourihan said they had not specified what form the industrial action would take at this stage because they believe the college should change its position and negotiate with the association.

Mr Hourihan said the college had issued new work schedules for next week and had said they would run for the rest of the academic year.

“We estimate that there are four members of staff whose hours are being cut completely. Some of these people would have more than 10 years’ service and now they are being told they are no longer required and being made redundant effectively,” he said.

“It is appalling treatment of vastly experienced staff in UCC and we believe the move is an illegal breach of contract and employment rights,” he said.

“We have offered to engage once more in talks on a collaborative basis, but not with a gun pointed to our head and that is clearly what they are doing,” said Mr Hourihan.

He hoped that industrial action could be avoided and said members were conscious that the students were at a very sensitive stage of the academic year. “For now, we are concentrating our efforts on avoiding industrial action and are hoping the university will resume negotiations with us.”