500 ambulance staff begin two-day strike in union row

PATIENTS face disruption as up to 500 ambulance staff begin a two-day strike today as part of their long-running dispute for union recognition.

The paramedics are members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) and have already held two previous strike days. The national strike will run from 7am to 5pm today and tomorrow.

The union said it was a further escalation in the campaign by ambulance personnel in demand of their right to be represented by the union of their choice “and not by a trade union that the HSE wants to force them to join”.

The two-day strike action follows previous strikes on January 22 and February 15.

Peter Hughes, PNA general secretary, said his ambulance personnel members voted overwhelmingly in September 2018 for industrial action in pursuit of their basic demand to join, and be represented by, the union of their choice.

“To date, the HSE has made absolutely no effort to address or resolve this dispute, and has now forced professional and highly trained ambulance personnel across the country into the unprecedented position of a two-day strike,” he said.

“The HSE has chosen to ignore repeated offers by PNA to attend WRC (Workplace Relations Commission) talks on this dispute. HSE have further ignored calls by Minister for Health Simon Harris and many other TDs to resolve this dispute through negotiation rather than confrontation.”

The army is expected to be called out again as support over the two days.

The HSE did not return requests for comment.