Talks aimed at ending the health support staff pay dispute will get underway at the Workplace Relations Commission tomorrow.
The talks are expected to include officials from SIPTU, the HSE, The Department of Health and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
A spokesperson for SIPTU said that, at this stage, three further strike days planned for next week are expected to go ahead.
10,000 health support staff took to the picket lines for their first 24-hour strike this morning.
Chefs, cleaners, porters and maternity care assistants at 38 hospitals and healthcare facilities are involved in the action.
The dispute is over a job-evaluation scheme - and what SIPTU says is a failure to implement pay rises for the staff.
Contingency plans are being put in place, but thousands of inpatient procedures, outpatient appointments and surgeries are expected to be cancelled.
The HSE says the action involves a "significant number of staff who make an essential contribution" to services.
According to the HSE, the likely effects are:
- deferral of some elective inpatient procedures
- significant cancellation of scope procedures
- reduced outpatient services
- reduced laboratory services for GPs
- reduced catering services for both patients and staff
- reduced operating theatre activity
It adds: "Patients are being contacted by their local hospital or healthcare facility in the event that their scheduled procedure or service will be affected by the dispute.
"While every effort will be made to minimise impact on patients, industrial action involving these essential staff will have a significant impact on services."
10 thousand health support staff including porters, cleaners and catering staff have gone on strike at 38 hospitals across the country pic.twitter.com/u9PGJPawBt
— Stephen Murphy (@StephenMNews) June 26, 2019
On Monday, SIPTU claimed it had "run out of time" to stop the strike.
Health division organiser Paul Bell says: "Unfortunately, we have run out of time and too many issues remain unresolved.
"SIPTU members have acted in good faith at all times during this dispute including by deferring two days of strike action. We believe that the Government has abused the conciliation process and never meaningfully engaged with SIPTU representatives."
More strikes are planned for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week if there is no resolution.
A full list of impacted hospitals and facilities are below:
- Cork University Hospital
- Cork University Maternity Hospital
- Kerry University Hospital
- Mallow General Hospital
- South Infirmary Hospital, Cork
- South Tipperary General Hospital
- Wexford General Hospital
- St Lukes Hospital Carlow / Kilkenny
- Mercy Hospital Cork
- Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown
- National Rehabilitation Hospital
- Beaumont Hospital
- St Ita’s Portrane
- Mater Hospital
- St James Hospital
- St Vincent’s University Hospital
- Tallaght Hospital
- Our Lady’s Hospital, Navan
- Louth County Hospital
- Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda
- Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin
- Rotunda Hospital
- Central Mental Hospital
- Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar
- Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore
- Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise
- Naas General Hospital
- Cavan General Hospital
- Letterkenny University Hospital
- Sligo General Hospital
- Roscommon Hospital
- Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe
- Galway University Hospital
- Merlin Park
- Mayo University Hospital
- UL Hospital Dooradoyle
- UL Maternity Hospital
- UL Orthopaedic Hospital, Croom
Additional reporting Michael Staines
