Leitrim Cllr says minister needs to show 'leadership' and intervene ahead of HSE strike

Leitrim will be without ambulances on Tuesday if no agreement is reached on Monday

Leitrim is set to be without ambulances on Tuesday as around 2,000 SIPTU members of the National Ambulance Service (NAS) prepare to mount a total strike for 24-hours.

The industrial action began on Monday with work-to-rule measures carried out nationwide.

The strike has arisen out of a dispute over the rate of pay for workers who have gradually taken on more responsibilities in recent years.

Pickets are planned to take place around the north west in Carrick-on-Shannon, Sligo, Roscommon Town, Ballyshannon, Letterkenny, and Dungloe.

Unions have accused the HSE of failure to implement the recommendations of an independent report on updating ambulance workers’ pay scales to reflect changes in their responsibilities and workloads over the last 20 years.

The HSE “regrets” the disruptions and the need for it to “both increase and modernise pay arrangements.” Though it stresses that it is “committed,” it claims that reforms are being carried out on the HSE and NAS, and that is causing delays.

“The Minister must intervene, show leadership, and bring this dispute to an end,” said Leitrim Cllr Padraig Fallon. “Continued failure will only deepen the crisis in pre-hospital emergency care and risk further disruption to services.”

“These workers are the backbone of pre-hospital emergency care. They save lives every day, yet they continue to face understaffing, burnout, frustration and a failure to recognise their skills and responsibilities.

The Sinn Féin Councillor has said that the Government and NAS management should take steps to avert the strike.

“Paramedics and ambulance personnel need a properly funded workforce. The ambulance service cannot be expected to meet rising demand while workers are left carrying the burden of staffing shortages and unresolved disputes.”