Over 1500 hospital support staff have voted to strike over a dispute over the HSE’s new internship scheme.
These strikes will affect hospitals across Dublin, including Vincent's University Hospital, Beaumont, the Mater, Tallaght and St Luke's hospitals and the National Maternity Hospital at Holles Street.
Backed by SIPTU, organiser Paul Bell explained that the action is due to members fears that the new interns, who are employed on a much lower salary, will be assigned weekend and late night work, taking work and pay away from long term employees.
He stated: "It is remarkable that at a time when senior managers in some voluntary hospitals have had top up payments to their salaries ring-fenced, and also when the HSE and the government have seen fit to award pay increases to the highest paid medical workers in the State's health service, that it is the lowest paid who are expected to take further hits to their take home pay. That it is simply unacceptable.”
There is no date planned for action, but the members have pledged to strike should the HSE attempt to unilaterally reduce the pay or hours of SIPTU members.
