Siptu today announced it has served strike notice on seven Dublin hospitals for two days next month as part of the union campaign against public sector pay cuts.
The public services committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, which is co-ordinating the current industrial action, said yesterday it was moving to a new phase involving work stoppages and a withdrawal of labour across the public sector.
Some 4,500 Siptu members will withdraw their labour from 1.00am on Wednesday, April 7th until 1.00am on Friday, April 9th. Those involved in the action include porters, catering personnel, security, health care assistants and supervisors.
The public hospitals affected are St James's, St Vincent's, Connolly Memorial, Mater, Beaumont, Tallaght and St Colmcille's. Low-level action is also anticipated for ambulance services in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow, a spokesman said.
Siptu health sector organiser Paul Bell said the action is in response to the refusal of the hospital managements to honour the terms of the 'Towards 2016 Transitional Agreement 2008', or to agree an alternative agreement. The unions are also protesting over management threats to outsource jobs, he said.
"Other hospitals in Dublin will have disputes in the weeks to follow and action in acute hospitals will be rolled out in the regions. Hospitals not on strike in Dublin are organising a solidarity fund to support striking workers," Mr Bell said.
He said the unions had given the Government enough notice to make alternative arrangements to provide cover for the striking staff.
Elsewhere, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has revealed it is considering rolling work stoppages, while teaching unions may stage half or full day closures.
The Garda Representative Association has said its members will refuse to use their own mobile phones, laptops and cameras for work, and will not co-operate with management over the conduct of criminal trials.
Civil servants - who have been on a work-to-rule since January 25th - are also set to take strike action to target specific departments and services.
Social welfare offices in Cork city, Waterford and Coolock in Dublin are closed to the public all day today as part of the industrial action. The Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork are also closed this afternoon. There was a ban on answering phones in the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Social and Family Affairs this morning.
The chairman of the Ictu committee, Peter McLoone, said yesterday the forms of action were likely to vary from sector to sector, and individual unions would make their own announcements over the coming days and weeks.
Mr McLoone said the objective of its campaign was to achieve a negotiated solution that would reverse pay cuts, protect future pay and pensions, and avoid compulsory redundancies.
The Cabinet met this morning to consider plans by the trade unions for a series of strikes across the public service.
The Government has said it wants to talk to the unions about public service reform. However, Ministers have said the pay cuts introduced in the budget will not be reversed. Government sources said there was a concern that talks with the unions that included the pay cuts on the agenda could be perceived in international markets as a rowing back on the budget which had been generally well-received.
Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe warned that the threatened school closures envisaged as part of the new escalated protest would lead to conflict with the Government.