Members of the FNV union in the ambulance service have restarted their work-to-rule industrial action. The action had been suspended to allow for further negotiations but the employers then broke off negotiations and withdrew an earlier pay offer. The FNV is calling for urgent action to address staffing shortages. It is aiming for a 7.5% pay increase in 2018 and 3.5% in 2019 which it says are needed to keep ambulance pay in line with other parts of the health service. The union says that employers should fund higher pay rather than spending money on recruiting agency workers to cover understaffing.
Ambulance workers restart industrial action
More like this
Ambulance staff back industrial action
(July 2016) Ambulance workers, members of the SIPTU union, have overwhelmingly voted in favour of industrial action. The union reports that its members have been through significant restructuring in recent years, without any recognition of this by management. The large majority in favour of action is in response of the failure of management to engage in negotations over implementation of an intermediate care service and an annualised hours system. Read more at SIPTU.
Unions demand to restart collective bargaining
Following their three joint regional assemblies at the beginning of July, the main public service federations - FP CGIL, CISL FP, UIL FPL and UIL Pa - have called a national demonstration for 29 July demanding an immediate restart to collective bargaining in the public sector. This also follows a court ruling that the block on negotiations is illegal. The unions argue that the freeze on bargaining has prevented any negotiations not just to improve workers' pay and conditions but also to tackle the reforms needed in public administration. Further mobilisations will follow in the autumn if the
Ambulance, council and water workers back industrial action
In three separate disputes, members of the Fórsa and SIPTU trade unions have voted in favour of industrial action. In the ambulance service, SIPTU members voted with a 95% majority to back industrial action following the refusal of management to implement a restructuring plan that had been negotiated with and was fully supported by the union. Meanwhile, SIPTU members in the water sector will take strike action on 7 June unless there is a guarantee that their local authority pay and conditions will be protected when they transfer to a new employer, Uisce Éireann, a new standalone public utility