Ambulance workers have the same right to withdraw their labour as any other Irish employee, but the nature of the job adds a potency to industrial action and with that comes responsibilities
This week’s 24-hour National Ambulance Service stoppage – from 8am on Tuesday until 8am on Wednesday – appears to have passed without any significant mishap. Major incidents – which account for around a quarter of ambulance call-outs – were responded to, as was the plan.
Dublin Fire Brigade’s ambulance service operated as normal, further muting the impact of the strike. Non-emergency users of the service outside Dublin were inconvenienced.
Further stoppages are in the offing – a 48-hour strike is planned for May 19th and a 72-hour action from May 26th – to put pressure on the Government to reopen an agreement reached earlier this year.
The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) brokered a deal in July between the HSE and the unions, SIPTU and Unite. The agreement offered pay rises of between three and 14 per cent, on top of a 9.25 per cent increase under the 2024-2026 public service pay agreement.
