Health worker strike averted

"This agreement ensures patient safety and continued delivery of all essential services."

The decision to suspend the planned industrial action due to commence on Monday, March 31, has been welcomed.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, Forsa, Connect, Unite, and the Medical Laboratory Scientists Association have taken the decision following twenty-two hours of engagement in the Workplace Relations Commission between unions and the HSE.

Central to discussion was proposals to recruit and retain staff into the public health service. The proposals seek to develop and improve recruitment processes and workforce planning.

Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD welcomed the agreement reached with staff representative bodies following talks this weekend.

Minister Carroll MacNeill said: “I want to thank everyone for their work over the weekend in reaching an agreement which will ensure that all health services will operate as normal on Monday morning, and patients can be assured that scheduled appointments will go ahead as planned.

"This agreement ensures patient safety and continued delivery of all essential services.

"We have seen unprecedented investment and growth in the number of staff working in our health service over the last 5 years, and I am committed to further grow and modernise the workforce to meet the needs of our growing and aging population.

"I am delighted that our plans to recruit over 6,500 additional staff in 2025 will continue, while this agreement will ensure that the HSE continue to operate within their allocated pay budget."

INMO General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “The challenges around safe staffing have intensified for nurses, midwives and other healthcare workers over the last eighteen months. While progress has been made with the HSE in these proposals on ensuring that vacant posts will be filled and streamlining the approval process to undo the delaying bureaucracy around the process of filling vacant posts.

“Nurses and midwives will now be balloted on the proposals. They will want to be assured by their employer that the delivery of safe staffing is an immediate priority.”

Head of Fórsa’s Health and Welfare Division, Ashley Connolly said: “Forsa’s divisional executive met this morning and made the decision to stand down the industrial action to allow time to consider these proposals. For the last eighteen months, we have been driven by a concern both on the effect on service delivery of the Pay and Numbers Strategy and our members’ concerns about staffing services properly.

Eoin Drummey of Unite added: “Following comprehensive engagement, we are satisfied that we now have a set of proposals that may bring about a resolution to this dispute which will be subject to a ballot of our members. Notwithstanding the significant challenges faced by our healthcare members through inadequate staffing and the over-reliance on agency and outsourcing.

Brian Mc Avinue, Connect Trade Union meanwhile stated: “Our members have faced many challenges since the introduction of the HSE’s recruitment moratorium and subsequent Pay and Numbers Strategy. While progress has been made, there is still a body of work to be done on the commitments made on delivering direct employment.”