Dear Members,
On 30th September, our members in 30 of Ireland’s largest hospitals will take industrial action as part of the Union’s campaign to force the Government to begin negotiations on a new public service pay agreement.
Participating members will conduct a work-to-rule in 30 hospitals across the country.
The members in these hospitals will withdraw from voluntary additional labour, such as non-rostered overtime.
The hospitals involved are:
- Beaumont Hospital
- Cavan Monaghan Hospital Group
- Children’s Health Ireland at Connolly Hospital
- Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin
- Children’s Health Ireland at Tallaght
- Children’s Health Ireland at Temple Street
- Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown
- Cork University Hospital
- Cork University Maternity Hospital
- Kerry University Hospital
- Letterkenny University Hospital
- Louth County Hospital
- Mater Misericordiae University Hospital
- Mayo University Hospital
- Mercy University Hospital
- Merlin Park University Hospital
- Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore
- Our Lady’s Hospital, Navan
- Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda
- Portiuncula University Hospital
- Sligo University Hospital
- St. James’s Hospital
- St Luke’s General Hospital
- St Vincent’s University Hospital
- Tallaght University Hospital
- Tipperary University Hospital
- University Hospital Galway
- University Hospital Limerick
- University Hospital Waterford
- Wexford General Hospital
Members will continue to attend their normal rostered shifts, perform their normal duties and comply with their professional and statutory obligations.
Our demand is clear: the Government must come to the negotiating table with the ICTU Public Services Committee and begin negotiations on a successor public service pay agreement.
Health workers have continued to deliver essential public services under enormous pressure. They have repeatedly been asked to do more with less, work additional hours and provide the goodwill necessary to keep services operating.
Our members have suffered from the effects of the cost-of-living crisis in the same way as other workers. They deserve to have their pay negotiated on their behalf by their union representatives.
This action is not directed at patients or service users, but the health service cannot indefinitely depend on workers providing unlimited additional goodwill to compensate for staffing and resource pressures.
Our members taking industrial action on 30th September are those who voted in the Phase 1 ballots.
Phase 2 balloting is taking place this week via a postal ballot. If you are in Phase 2 and have not yet received your ballot, please contact your Shop Steward or SIPTU Official.
The list of locations and all other information regarding the work-to-rule and the Phase 2 process is featured in the next article in this month’s Health Bulletin.
In solidarity,
Kevin Figgis
Health Divisional Organiser