HSE says unions 'irresponsible'

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has said that plans by nursing unions to provide little notice to management of the nature and extent of proposed work stoppages from later this month are "irresponsible".

The chief executive of the HSE - Employers Agency, Gerard Barry, said that the lack of notice of industrial action would result in elective procedures and out-patient appointments in hospitals being cancelled at the 11th hour.

Unions representing about 40,000 nurses have served a 21-day notice of industrial action on the HSE as part of a campaign for improved pay and conditions. This notice is due to expire at the end of next week.

The Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) and the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) have said that there will be no further formal notice provided to management regarding the planned rolling work stoppages at the end of a 21-day period.

Mr Barry told The Irish Times that health service management had never before experienced such a form of industrial action.

"That we could be hit by lightning strikes is not just unacceptable - it is irresponsible", he said.

Responding to Mr Barry's comments, the general secretary of the INO, Liam Doran, said the language used was grossly misleading and would only ignite the situation greatly.

He said it was most unusual when parties were in industrial relations procedures that they would start passing inflammatory comments regarding their views as to the other side in the dispute.

He said the remarks rendered questionable the value of the procedures in which they were engaged.

The issue of notice of the industrial action is one which management wants to see addressed at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC).

The LRC was asked yesterday by both parties to try to facilitate an agreement on the maintenance of essential services in the event of the dispute going ahead. This intervention could come as early as tomorrow.

In a letter to the unions last week, the HSE said that the lack of specifics on the planned industrial action was "a cause of serious concern to employers".

It said that apart from details of planned lunchtime protests, the notice provided by the unions was "silent on the timing, nature and location of the industrial action".

The LRC is also to be asked to try to broker a deal on the level of emergency cover to be provided.