Mayo HSE staff get 3 days off for giving up unofficial tea break

Porters and other support staff at a Mayo HSE health facility are to get three additional holiday days in exchange for surrendering a long-established but unofficial noon tea break.

The Labour Court recommended that the workers at the Sacred Heart Hospital in Castlebar give up their additional morning break in exchange for two additional holiday days in the current leave year and one extra day in the next leave year.

The recommendation to grant the additional days off to the workers drew an angry reaction from the chief executive of ISME, Mark Fielding, who said: “The gravy train rumbles on. Three days’ holidays in exchange for an unofficial tea-break.

“When will the penny drop that extra costs such as this will mean less resources available for patients?

“No wonder the HSE is in the state it’s in. Lax management in the past leading to extra costs now. Final score: Unions 3, Patients 0.”

In the dispute before the Labour Court, HSE management argued that “the break is unofficial and should not continue”, stating that the workers were in receipt of breaks in excess of their statutory entitlements. They contended that the break should be discontinued with immediate effect.

However, Siptu stated: “The break in question has been in place for many years. As a result of custom and practice within the employment, the break now forms part of the workers’ implied terms and conditions of employment and should remain in place.”

The matter was not resolved at local level or before the Labour Relations Commission, resulting in the case going before the Labour Court.

The Labour Court stated: “The court recommends that the staff should give up the additional morning break and in return the HSE should allow those workers affected a once-off two additional days’ leave in the current leave year and one additional day’s leave in the next leave year.”

Last night, the HSE said it is intended to implement the recommendation as determined by the Labour Court.