CAMPAIGN FOR THE RIGHT TO REPRESENTATION BY THE TRADE UNION OF THEIR CHOICE ESCALATES

Thursday 30 th May  - Over 500 ambulance personnel members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA)  will strike for  24 hours from 7 a.m. Tomorrow (Friday, May 31 st )  in pursuit of their demand for the right to be represented by the PNA as the union of their choice

The first 24-hour strike throughout the country, involving paramedics, advanced paramedics and emergency medical technicians, will run to 7 a.m.on Saturday. In this new phase of the industrial dispute, further 24-hour strikes will follow on dates to be announced in the coming weeks.

Peter Hughes, PNA General Secretary, said once again the HSE had refused to engage in normal industrial relations protocol of agreeing contingency planning where notice is given of  industrial action involving the emergency services.

“The irresponsible approach of the HSE in relying on its lawyers to negotiate contingency planning for a 24 hour strike involving front line emergency services is unprecedented. A year and a half after moving to deny ambulance personnel the right to be represented by the PNA , the HSE appears to persist in the view that this dispute will simply ‘go away'. After six days of strike action and an escalation now to 24-hour strike, our ambulance branch members could not be clearer that the dispute is not ‘going away' and their resolve and determination to be allowed join and represented by the PNA (which has been the case since 2010) is as strong as ever.”

Media Contact: Derek Cunningham 086-2430535