LRC facilitates talks on Galway hospital services

Talks get underway at the Labour Relations Commission in Galway later in a bid to resolve a row over hospital services.

Unions say €90m worth of cuts are on the way at UCHG and Portiuncula, where crowds demonstrated yesterday.

They fear the HSE may be planning to close Portiuncula, but the Executive has said that it has no plans to do so.

IMPACT's Paraic Mulligan said the HSE would face stiff opposition if they brought forward the cuts.

Referring to the protests yesterday, he said the message from the demonstrators was clear: "If you think you're going to cut our services, you're going to have to come through us - and that's an etire community."