- Details
PNA says HSE cannot dictate the choice of union for Ambulance Personnel
Members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) in the National Ambulance Service will tomorrow (Wednesday 10 th Oct. ) commence industrial action in protest at the continued refusal by the HSE to engage in negotiations with the PNA when representing the interests of their ambulance personnel members, and the refusal to make payroll deductions of union subscriptions for ambulance personnel members.
PNA balloted members of its ambulance service personnel branch (the National Ambulance Service Representative Association NASRA) for industrial action in August and received an overwhelming vote in favour of action up to and including strike.
Peter Hughes, General Secretary of PNA,,of which NASRA is a union branch, said the growing numbers of ambulance service personnel (including paramedics advanced paramedics and emergency medical technicians) who wish to join NASRA, and exercise their fundamental right to organise and join the union of their choice are not prepared to have such basic trade union rights dictated to them by the HSE.
Mr Hughes said it is baffling in the extreme as to why the HSE has chosen to confront NASRA members on this issue of fundamental workers' rights, and it can only be concluded that seven years after NASRA was formed as a branch of PNA that the HSE is attempting to stop the work and expansion of NASRA, and force ambulance personnel throughout the country to remain in another union that they do not want to be part of.
‘This cannot, and will not be allowed to happen. NASRA was established as a branch of the PNA for ambulance service personnel and the HSE is now attempting to stop the growth of the NASRA branch by refusing to facilitate payroll deductions of subscriptions, or negotiate with NASRA as an established branch of the PNA.'
‘The PNA once again calls on the HSE to engage with it in order to resolve these issues.'
- Details
The Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) today (Weds. 25 th July) announced that it will hold a ballot of members of its ambulance service personnel branch (the National Ambulance Service Representative Association NASRA) for industrial action , up to and including strike, in protest at the continued refusal by the HSE to engage in negotiations with the PNA when representing the interests of their ambulance personnel members, and the HSE refusal to make payroll deductions of union subscriptions as it does with other unions throughout the health services.
Today's decision to re-ballot NASRA members follows the cancellation of industrial action by NASRA yesterday (July 24 th ) as the result of a threat issued last week by the HSE to seek an injunction to prevent all industrial action by the NASRA/ PNA branch.
- Details
Monday , 9 th July 2018
Ambulance service personnel (members of the National Ambulance Service Representative Association -NASRA) , have voted overwhelmingly for industrial action, up to and including strike action, in protest at the continued refusal of the HSE to facilitate payroll deductions of union subscriptions for new NASRA members. In a ballot conducted nationally over the past two weeks the members voted by nearly 98% in favour of industrial action which will now commence on Tuesday , 24 th July.
Mr Peter Hughes, the General Secretary of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA), of which NASRA is a union branch, said the decisive outcome of the ballot confirmed the level of anger and frustration by NASRA members at having a basic work right to join the union of their choice denied to them.
‘The message to the HSE from this outcome could not be clearer. Ambulance personnel do not accept the arbitrary move taken earlier this year by the HSE to refuse to deduct union subscriptions at source for the growing numbers of ambulance service personnel (including paramedics, advanced paramedics and emergency medical technicians) who wish to join NASRA, and exercise their fundamental right to organise and join the union of their choice.'
