Dublin: Healthcare workers across Ireland are gearing up for strike action as mounting frustrations over unfilled vacancies and unmet pay agreements reach a tipping point. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) and FORSA are set to meet shortly to finalise a coordinated protest strategy.
In polls conducted in November, 96% of INMO members and 94% of FORSA members, including those working in Section 38 voluntary hospitals, supported industrial action. These unions collectively represent more than 72,000 healthcare workers across various sectors. Other unions, such as Connect Trade Union, Unite, and the Medical Laboratory Scientists Association, have also voted in favour of strike action, highlighting widespread discontent within the sector.
Key Issues Behind the Strike
Staffing Shortages:
The unions are protesting the HSE’s failure to fill thousands of vacant positions, as outlined in the National Service Plan (NSP). Despite the urgent need for staff, the HSE intends to maintain a recruitment freeze under its Pay and Numbers Strategy, leaving critical posts unfilled.
More than 2,000 nursing and midwifery positions were supposed to be filled by the end of 2023 but remain vacant.
The unions argue that this shortfall compromises patient safety and staff well-being.
Unmet Pay Agreements:
Workers allege the government has failed to honour the pay agreement brokered with the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in October 2023.
The agreement included an 8% pay increase and a commitment to restoring pay parity between the public sector and the community and voluntary sectors.
However, employees of Section 39 organisations—privately owned charities and agencies contracted by the government to provide healthcare services—claim the government has neglected their concerns.
Safe Staffing and Patient Care:
The unions are urging the government to implement the Patient Safety (Licensing) Bill to ensure that essential roles are filled, safeguarding both patients and healthcare staff.
Union Statements and Planned Actions
INMO President Caroline Gorley stated that the union’s Executive Council will convene next week to finalise a strike strategy. FORSA also emphasised its members’ frustration, accusing the government and the HSE of double standards in their approach to the health sector.
The unions have denounced the HSE’s plan to hire 3,553 additional workers in 2024, as outlined in the NSP. They argue that this figure misleadingly includes the conversion of agency workers into full-time HSE employees, rather than addressing actual staffing shortages.
In October 2023, the government narrowly averted a strike by community and voluntary sector workers through a last-minute pay deal. That agreement included an 8% pay increase and restoration of pay parity with the public sector.
However, Section 39 employees feel excluded from these commitments, prompting the current wave of discontent.
The unions are now calling on the incoming government to prioritise healthcare staffing and funding. They argue that immediate action is required to address chronic understaffing and ensure the long-term sustainability of Ireland’s healthcare system.
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