Public health workers set to begin industrial action over stalled pay deal
Industrial action will commence on Wednesday, September 30th. Pic: iStock
Members of the Fórsa trade union working across Ireland's public health sector will launch industrial action on Wednesday, September 30th, driven by ongoing delays in securing a new public sector pay agreement.
Formal notifications have been served to key health sector employers, including the Health Service Executive (HSE), Tusla, and Section 38 organisations.
The initial phase of the action will take the form of a work-to-rule. Under these measures, staff will refuse to work overtime; refuse to cover duties associated with vacant posts; and decline cooperation with proposals extending working patterns across a seven-day roster.
This escalation follows an overwhelming vote in favour of industrial action by Fórsa’s public sector membership last week.
Several other public sector unions have adopted identical stances, citing the Government's failure to present a meaningful pay offer.
The previous national public sector pay deal expired on June 30th, and formal negotiations for a successor agreement have not yet commenced.
Fórsa confirmed that the notification issued to health employers is the first in a series expected to reach public service employers ahead of coordinated nationwide industrial action.
Fórsa’s Health and Welfare division represents 32,000 workers within the public health services.
