St James’s Hospital in Dublin is facing a potential strike over plans by management to impose an annual charges of up to €500 for car parking.
Siptu members in St James’s Hospital, Dublin, have begun a ballot for industrial action in a dispute by a management attempt to impose an annual charges of up to €500 for car parking.
SIPTU Organiser, David Field said the ballot is in response to an attempt by management to impose a new charge, from the start of 2016, for workers using the car park.
“Hospital workers were shocked when this charge was announced to them in the run up to Christmas without any consultation or agreement,” he said.
“Over the last week, Siptu members have attended union information meetings. At these meetings over 900 signatures have been collected for a petition opposing the imposition of the car park charge.”
The ballot on industrial action is scheduled to conclude in early February.
The Irish Times reported last week that management at the hospital in Dublin is seeking to charge staff up to €500 per year to park their car.
Management at St James’s told staff just before Christmas that the planned introduction of car parking charges was linked to the construction of the new National Children’s Hospital on its campus.
It said the development would result in a significant reduction in staff parking capacity.
Management said a €500 charge would be levied in 2016 for parking on the St James’s Hospital site as well as in a nearby location known as St James’s Steel.
Willie McGuinness, a Siptu shop steward in St James’s Hospital said Siptu members across all departments in the hospital have shown full support for the campaign to oppose this charge.
“We are standing together to oppose this shocking attempt to unilaterally change our conditions of employment and are demanding that management shows workers the respect we deserve,” he said.