Dublin hospitals’ support staff vote for strike action

More than 1,500 support staff in six of Dublin’s largest hospitals have voted in favour of strike action which will be activated if any attempt is made to change their rosters without agreement, or reduce their pay with the introduction of interns.

The workers, members of Siptu, are employed in St Vincent’s University Hospital, Beaumont, the Mater, Tallaght and St Luke’s hospitals as well as the National Maternity Hospital in a range of roles including porters, catering operatives, laboratory assistants and sterilisation technicians.

Siptu health division organiser Paul Bell said the workers had voted 95% in favour of protective strike notice following “the unilateral decision by the various hospital managements to change work patterns”.

“Over 1,500 members have voted to resist any further attempt by management to cut our members’ pay by removing them from rosters during unsocial hours and weekends and replacing them with interns.”

It is understood there are already 870 such interns in place across the country.

Mr Bell said he had informed the HSE and the management of the balloted hospitals that the Croke Park and Haddington Road agreements contained provisions which protected the earnings of low paid workers in the health service “who have already suffered reductions in pay through roster changes and in cuts to overtime rates and payments for unsocial hours”.

“It is remarkable that at a time when senior managers in some voluntary hospitals have had “top up” payments to their salaries ring-fenced, and also when the HSE and the Government have seen fit to award pay increases to the highest paid medical workers in the State’s health service, that it is the lowest paid who are expected to take further hits to their take home pay. That it is simply unacceptable,” he said.

Barry O’Brien, national director of human resources at the HSE, said health service management had committed to having full regard for all the provisions of the Haddington Road Agreement.

“The HRA allows management to table proposals to maximise efficiency, including proposals on roster changes. In doing so management are committed to a detailed information and consultation process with Siptu and will seek to use the assistance of the Labour Relations Commission if required,” he said.