This monthly bulletin is very important because it highlights the work being done on behalf of our members within the SIPTU Health Division.
We are a dedicated team of officials working with our Shop Stewards and members across the country in order to make a difference.
On Tuesday (12th May), we had a national dispute in the National Ambulance Service (NAS), as well as in Blanchardstown and Inner City Home Care.
This demonstrates our unwavering readiness to back members in their pursuit of justice in their workplace.
The first update to members this month is on the Pay and Numbers Strategy.
SIPTU Health Division has continued to engage with other health unions on developing a comprehensive submission to the HSE on an appropriate workforce plan for the health service from 2027.
This arises from a recent Labour Court recommendation, which stated that the HSE should accept a submission from unions in relation to workforce planning before closing out the decision-making process, which they call the estimates process.
We are using an independent researcher to assist with the quality of our submission, and we will strive to ensure it highlights the need to protect direct employment, resist outsourcing, and ensure quality jobs in the public health system.
We have long fought for terms and conditions of employment, and we will not accept a race to the bottom.
Many of our members are at significant risk of outsourcing, particularly our support staff, and we must ensure that any efforts by the HSE to curb recruitment are not done at the expense of our members’ jobs.
SIPTU Health Division will insist that direct employment is prioritised, and we will strongly resist any efforts to have our members’ jobs provided through external means.
The second update is on Local Bargaining. This is provided for under the Public Service Agreement and provides for a 1% increase from the 1st September 2025.
The payment is not a 1% increase in itself, but rather the creation of a fund to that value across the entire workforce within that fund.
SIPTU Health Division has been negotiating with the HSE and the Department of Health on the use of our fund.
We have sought to ensure it is best used to address many long-standing claims within our division for members in support grades, diagnostics, health professionals, psychiatric nursing, healthcare assistants, and the NAS.
We are confident that the measures taken will make a real difference for members and address some long-standing matters which have been raised with our union, which we have sought to address on their behalf.
We expect the negotiations to conclude in the coming weeks, with May as the target end date.