Perfusionist Strikes Postponed After HSE Agrees to New Pay Talks
Strikes by approximately 25 perfusionists, which would have affected heart surgeries at five hospitals, have been postponed. The Health Service Executive agreed to new talks regarding the staff’s claim for pay parity. This follows a one-day strike that caused 14 elective surgery postponements.
Industrial action by theatre staff, which was anticipated to impact heart surgeries at five hospitals next Tuesday and Wednesday, has been postponed. This decision follows the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) agreement to engage in fresh talks concerning a pay claim.
Approximately 25 perfusionists, who operate machines that support a patient’s heart and lungs during certain surgeries, including transplants, conducted a one-day strike on Tuesday. They had been scheduled for a two-day strike next week. This week’s strike led to the postponement of 14 elective surgeries, including two at Crumlin Children’s Hospital, with further disruptions expected from the planned action next week.
The staff, represented by Fórsa, are advocating for the restoration of pay parity with the larger medical scientist grade. They assert this parity existed for about 60 years before being disrupted by a review of medical scientists’ pay and conditions, which resulted in substantial increases for that group. The Labour Court previously reviewed this dispute and recommended that the salary increases granted to medical scientists also be extended to perfusionists; however, the HSE stated it was unable to comply.
Following discussions between Fórsa and the HSE on Thursday evening, the union accepted a proposal from the HSE to address the issue within the framework of upcoming negotiations for a new public sector pay deal. The current deal is set to expire at the end of this month, with the final 1 percent installment of a 9.25 percent pay increase having taken effect for over 400,000 staff on June 1st. Negotiations for a new agreement are expected to commence in the coming weeks, though formal invitations to unions have not yet been issued.