Minister urged to engage with striking paramedics

By Claudia Savage and Cillian Sherlock, Press Association

The Health Minister has been urged to engage with paramedics as they began a 24-hour strike on Tuesday.

The Health Service Executive has warned of potential delays as workers for the National Ambulance Services, including emergency medical technicians, paramedics, advanced paramedics, paramedic specialists and paramedic supervisors, will strike until 8am on Wednesday.

Last month, Unite and Siptu members voted in favour of industrial action over what they refer to as management’s ongoing failure to implement the 2020 roles and responsibilities review.

The unions say qualifications, clinical responsibilities and operational duties of ambulance personnel have expanded significantly in recent years.

They also say a 5 per cent increase recommended under the benchmarking II process has not been delivered.

The strike involves pickets at ambulance depots which began at 8am, including at Davitt Road in Dublin South Central.

Unions have agreed contingency plans with the HSE to ensure that patient safety is prioritised during the dispute.

Siptu ambulance sector organiser John McCamley said union members “have been left with no option but to issue a strike notice due to this long-running dispute”.

He said: “We call on the HSE to implement the recommendations of the independent report without preconditions and to introduce enhanced pay scales which properly recognise the training and professional level at which our members now carry out their duties daily.”

The Minister for Health cannot stand back while ambulance workers are forced into industrial action

Unite regional officer Eoin Drummey said the HSE “can resolve this dispute by agreeing to implement the 2020 review immediately and without preconditions”.

On its website, the HSE warned there “will be delays responding to non-life-threatening calls for ambulances” on Tuesday into Wednesday.

“During this time, consider if another healthcare option might be suitable,” it said.

Sinn Féin health spokesman David Cullinane accused the Government of failing to deal with long-running problems in pre-hospital emergency care services.

He called on Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to engage with workers and implement an agreed pay and grading modernisation plan.

He said: “The Minister for Health cannot stand back while ambulance workers are forced into industrial action.

“The minister must intervene directly, engage meaningfully with workers and ensure that ambulance workers get the respect, recognition and safe staffing that they deserve.

“The minister must take workforce planning seriously and implement a real workforce plan to train and retain the paramedics our communities need.”