30 hospitals facing day-long strike action next month as 11,000 health workers set to walk out

MORE THAN 11,000 health workers across 30 hospitals are set to strike for a full day on Wednesday 14 October, trade union Siptu has announced.

The union’s Health Division said today that it has notified the HSE and voluntary hospital employers of the planned action as it escalates a dispute over negotiations for a new public service pay agreement.

The strike is due to follow a one-day work-to-rule on Wednesday 30 September, during which members will withdraw voluntary flexibility, including non-rostered overtime and additional duties.

Siptu said the action follows what it described as the government’s failure to establish a forum for negotiations on a successor to the previous public service pay agreement, which expired on 30 June.

The planned strike will affect hospitals across the country, including Beaumont Hospital, Cork University Hospital, University Hospital Galway, University Hospital Limerick, St James’s Hospital and University Hospital Waterford.