Ball now in HSE’s court as union leaves talks on brink of collapse
The strategy of the talks was to see what snippets of compromise could be achieved before the two sides would finally address the dreaded “D” word.
The HSE had made it clear, both in the run up and immediately before the Labour Relations Commission process, that failure to furnish them with a derogation from the ongoing public service industrial action would result in suspensions and service cuts.
It admitted that, as one senior negotiator put it, management had “absolutely no idea” where its €14.3bn was being spent and the nature of service provision because the staff tasked with providing the “mission-critical” data had, for the last three months, refused to collate and present it.
The HSE is critical to the current Exchequer savings drive now and into the future, yet it does not even know if it is on course to make the necessary €400m savings for this year.
At the highest levels, management are now considering the situation as worse than the swine crisis. They say that without knowledge of their spending to date, they face the prospect of having to reduce services to make up for any overspend.
During Tuesday’s talks, it is believed the HSE management offered a number of clarifications – and limited concessions – on the Croke Park deal and how it would affect the IMPACT health members to move closer to a derogation.
However, when the union side did not bite, claiming the HSE had not offered enough, mediator Kevin Foley of the LRC had no choice but to adjourn the talks with no return date – barely a step away from a full collapse.
The ball is now in the management’s court. Yesterday’s establishment of the National Crisis Management Team – made up of senior management – was the first in a series of initiatives, including staff communication, before the top echelons of the HSE meet in the next 24 hours to decide their next step.
The union will watch today’s events closely. It knows the man leading the HSE’s delegation at the talks. Human resources director Seán McGrath has a reputation for a no-nonsense approach to industrial relations.
Barely six months into his tenure in 2008, the same man bypassed the Labour Court and Labour Relations Commission when trying to introduce new, more efficient work practices. It is likely that when the HSE top-brass meets to decide its next step, he will tell his fellow directors the board must take a hard line in order to protect services and patient safety.
