Ambulance personnel at Letterkenny University Hospital are due to begin a campaign of industrial action on Saturday, 9th December.
The action follows failed attempts to reach a solution with the HSE over the implementation of a Rights Commissioner recommendation.
Up to 20 workers represented by SIPTU will commence the campaign on Saturday from 1am. Organisers say plans have been carefully made to ensure patient safety is not compromised.
SIPTU Sector Organiser, Martin O’Rourke, confirmed to Donegal Daily that this will not be an all-out strike.
“Ambulance staff deal with people who are very close to death in many cases. It will be low-lying action but hopefully it will be enough to kickstart the employer into action,” Mr O’Rourke said.
A meeting took place between SIPTU and the Workplace Rights Commission this week in a bid to reach a solution to the dispute, but no progress was sustained. Therefore, the industrial action will go ahead.
The dispute involves a recommendation issued by the Rights Commissioner two years ago in relation to compensatory leave following emergency calls.
The issue addresses safe working practices whereby, for example, if an ambulance worker is out late on a call and rostered to work early the following morning they should be entitled to compensatory time off.
“We fought the case with the HSE and won, but two years later we are still waiting on the employer to honour the decision.
“If our members behaved the way that management behaved in the HSE people would die. People would die left right and centre,” Mr O’Rourke added.
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