Minister for Health Mary Harney has said people in the Health Service Executive (HSE) cannot continue to be paid if they are not doing their job.
Speaking in relation to the current industrial action by members of the trade union Impact in the HSE Ms Harney said “we can’t continue to pay people if they are not doing their job.”
“Particularly at time when we have finite resources and we are accountable to taxpayers and we are able to measure the manner in which the money is being spent.”
Earlier Impact accused the HSE of seeking to intimidate members into current abandoning industrial action over pay cuts with warnings of potential disciplinary action.
In a memo to its members in the health service today Impact said it was vital for them to show solidarity with colleagues who were pressurised by the HSE and ensuring “that withheld information is not made available at this time”.
The row centres on moves by the HSE to provide a derogation from industrial action for the provision of what it considers crucial financial and activity data.
HSE management has warned that without such information it does not how its €14 billion annual budget is being spent and whether it is making the €400 million in savings it is required to make this year.
Talks between the HSE and Impact at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) aimed at resolving the row ended without agreement in the early hours of this morning.
In its memo to members Impact said its objective at the LRC was ensure there was clarity over how proposals in the recent public service pay and reform deal negotiated at Croke Park would relate to the terms of an agreement reached in 2004 on the establishment of the HSE.
It has also sought a number of other clarifications on aspects of the proposed agreement. It is understood these centre on plans to standardise terms and conditions for staff across the public service.
“In the LRC, Impact put forward a number of constructive suggestions for an agreed solution to the issues under discussion. However, the HSE chose not to engage constructively and it has, therefore, not so far been possible to achieve an acceptable outcome in relation to the HSE-Impact agreement or satisfactory clarifications on other matters”
"As a result, no changes to the current industrial action have been agreed by Impact”, it said.
The union said that the HSE was continuing to fuel speculation that it would react to the industrial action by “taking disciplinary action against Impact members who were following the Impact instruction not to provide financial and other information to management.”
“This is a clear attempt to intimidate individuals and groups of members into abandoning the industrial action instead of reaching an agreed solution to the issues that went to the LRC”, it said.