Ambulance services in the greater Dublin area face major disruption from Monday because of a threatened strike by ambulance controllers. The 15 controllers are responsible for co-ordinating the activities of both the Fire Brigade, which provides emergency services in the city, and the Eastern Health Board ambulances.
The latter provides emergency services in Wicklow and Kildare and non-emergency services throughout the health board area.
The dispute is over pay. Ambulance controllers have a traditional link with clerical officers in the health boards.
In recent talks, they have been made an offer which will allow a gap of about £9 a week to develop between them and staff at the top of the clerical scale.
Gross pay for ambulance controllers is £331 a week before tax. Unlike ambulance drivers, their unions say the drivers have little or no opportunity to supplement basic pay by overtime.
There is a link between the controllers pay and the basic scales for ambulance drivers.
Any increase granted to the controllers now will probably lead to follow-on claims from drivers in the next round of pay talks.
At present, controllers are being offered an increase of 5.5 per cent.
IMPACT national secretary, Mr Kevin O'Driscoll, last night accused health management and the Department of Finance of trying to "short change some of the lowest paid people in the sector. They are doing a difficult job for a poor return and it is unacceptable to allow this to happen to them".
Mr O'Driscoll said all services would be curtailed as a result of the dispute, although discussions were continuing with management over the level of emergency cover that would be provided on Monday.
He said the union was prepared to defer its action if management would concede that parity would be maintained with clerical staff in the health services.
IMPACT and SIPTU (which represents three of the 15 controllers) remain available for talks. Mr O'Driscoll said: "We don't want to inflict hardship on the public, but the day is gone when management can use this argument to deny our members their rights."