TALKS will continue today to try to avert a national strike on Monday of 530 provincial ambulance drivers and attendants. They are pressing for a pay increase.
Another major strike is looming in the health sector. The public service union IMPACT issued strike notice in respect of over 3,000 health professionals - paramedics and social workers - who have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike from April 21st.
The union is angry at the failure, to resolve outstanding pay claims under the Programme for Competitiveness and Work (PCW) which expires this summer.
The 90 ambulance drivers in Dublin, who were also threatening, to strike on Monday, settled their dispute in discussions yesterday at the Labour Relations Commission.
The Minister for Health, Mr Noonan, has urged both sides in the dispute to use the conciliation services fully. He told the Dail "Both sides have agreed to meet again tomorrow and I hope that it will be possible to agree an arrangement that will ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to protect the lives of the citizens."
Last night, he welcomed the decision of the Dublin ambulance drivers and hoped the provincial members would continue to use the industrial relations machinery.
A union spokesman said "limited progress" had been made in the talks at the Labour Relations Commission about provincial drivers.
The provincial ambulance drivers are seeking parity with their Dublin colleagues. The Army is on stand by to deal with emergencies should the strike go ahead.
The Fianna Fail spokesman on health, Mr Brian Cowen, urged the Minister to intervene before a damaging strike began.
Dr Mary Grehan, the Progressive Democrats Dail candidate for Louth and a practising GP, said GPs should not take over if the strike goes ahead.
Ambulance duty is specialist work, and the paramedics are trained, insured and equipped accordingly. GPs are not."
IMPACT's health division executive met in Galway yesterday to sanction industrial action by speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, dietitians, physiotherapists, biochemists, audiometricians and child care workers.
Ms Christina Carney, the union's national secretary for health, said that on March 27th they had met the health employers, who had promised to come back to them. "Two weeks later we have still heard nothing".