Hospitals and healthcare facilities around the country are facing the prospect of strikes from next month.
Thousands of hospital support staff overwhelmingly voted in favour of industrial action this morning.
The workers involved include health care assistants, lab aids, hospital theatre workers, porters and cleaners.
Separately, healthcare industry chefs have also voted overwhelmingly in favour of the strike action.
Ballot results are in! 🗳️
94% of #ourSIPTU members voted to take strike action in selected hospitals across the country! #ourSIPTU member Anne Sweeney from Letterkenny discusses why we are taking action for #PayJustice pic.twitter.com/X2h4XhmV2F— SIPTU (@SIPTU) May 17, 2019
SIPTU sector Health Division Organiser, Paul Bell said there are around 17,000 workers at 36 hospitals and healthcare facilities involved.
He said the workers had undergone an independent job evaluation procedure under the Public Service Pay Agreement – which found that they are underpaid and should be shifted to a higher band.
He accused the Government of ‘stonewalling’ the workers after previously agreeing to honour the outcome of the evaluation.
SIPTU has described this afternoon’s ballot result as a “very clear and definite result and a very clear message from our members regarding what they expect from Government within the terms of the public service agreement.”
“Our members are extremely angry,” said Mr Bell. “There is a great deal of disbelief that the Government would treat them in this way.”
“They feel that they are being treated this way because of the ranks and the jobs that they hold and they feel that basically the Government has said there is no value in those jobs.
“That is a very serious development and we need to correct that in the coming weeks.
“It is now up to the Government to engage.”
Workers will consulted over the next week – with “some type of strike action” expected in the middle of June.
94% of the support workers voted in favour of strike action.
