Staffing levels

Following intense negotiations at the Workplace Relations Commission, Irish unions – INMO , Fórsa , Unite , Connect, and MLSA – have secured significant commitments from the Health Service Executive (HSE) to address critical staffing shortages in the public health service. The proposals, which led to the suspension of a planned work-to-rule in late March, have now been overwhelmingly approved by union members in workplace ballots. Under the agreement, the HSE committed to replacing all posts that become vacant through retirement, resignation or transfer, within staffing and budget limits. The

The UGT Public Services Union has welcomed the steady recovery in staffing levels in Spain’s State Administration following years of austerity-driven cuts. According to the latest Statistical Bulletin, the number of workers increased by more than 15,000 between July 2022 and July 2024, with notable growth since mid-2023. This positive trend follows the signing of the Fifth Agreement for Employment and Collective Bargaining on 10 May 2023. The agreement was signed by the trade union confederations UGT and CCOO, together with the employers’ associations CEOE and CEPYME. It provides a national

Psychiatric hospital workers across Bulgaria, represented by the Federation of Health Trade Unions at CITUB , have launched protests demanding higher wages and improved working conditions. On 17th March, doctors, nurses, and support workers at the state psychiatric hospital in Sevlievo began a three-day action, calling for a 50% wage increase and recognition of their work as second category due to its complexity and risks. Workers in psychiatric hospitals in Pazardzhik and Tsarev Brod have joined the protests, with further action planned in Karlukovo on 18th March. The union demands include a

Fórsa and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) have served notice for industrial action in Ireland’s public health system, starting on 31 March 2025. The dispute stems from chronic understaffing, worsened by a government-imposed hiring freeze that has left critical healthcare positions unfilled. The Health Service Executive (HSE) and publicly funded Section 38 hospitals have faced escalating recruitment restrictions since 2023. What began as a limited hiring pause expanded into a full freeze, preventing the replacement of vacant posts. Despite repeated union demands, the HSE has