Ambulance Staff Two-Day Strike Postponed for Talks, 72-Hour Action Still Planned

A two-day strike by ambulance staff, originally scheduled to commence next Tuesday, has been postponed to facilitate further discussions aimed at resolving an ongoing dispute. This decision followed a meeting at the Labour Court on Thursday involving HSE management, the National Ambulance Service (NAS), and representatives from the Siptu and Unite unions.

After several hours of engagement, Labour Court officials requested the unions defer Tuesday’s 48-hour stoppage to allow the resolution process to continue into the following week. The dispute, centered on pay and grading, previously led to a 24-hour strike by paramedics, advanced paramedics, and emergency medical technicians earlier this week.

While the planned two-day strike is on hold, a work-to-rule action by approximately 2,000 paramedics, advanced paramedics, and emergency medical technicians will persist. This action is not currently reported to be causing significant disruption to patients. However, a separate 72-hour strike, scheduled for the Tuesday of the following week, remains set to proceed as planned.

John McCamley, Siptu sector organizer, confirmed the agreement: «The court asked us to call off next week’s strike to allow for further talks on Monday and Tuesday and we agreed with that.» He added that the court perceived a basis for further progress, noting optimism because the upcoming talks would be conducted without preconditions. McCamley explained, «The HSE has its position and we have ours but the stumbling block had previously been the preconditions the HSE were putting in place and they have been taken off the table for the purposes of this process.» Senior clinicians at the NAS and patient groups had previously voiced safety concerns regarding this week’s 24-hour stoppage, anticipating increased risks with longer strike durations. The unions, however, maintained that patient safety was paramount and adequate cover had been arranged to prevent any risk.