Agreement has been reached in a dispute over outsourcing between members of the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU) and management at St James’s Hospital.
The TEEU said the dispute was over outsourcing and moves by management to reduce the role of electricians on site. It said outside contractors had been brought in without prior agreement and in breach of agreed procedures.
“The union is concerned about health and safety, as well as job security issues resulting from the contracting out of services,” said a TEEU spokesman. The first step was the handing over of fire alarms to outside contractors, he said.
Talks over the issue of fire alarms have been ongoing since November last year, a hospital spokesman said.
“The health and safety of patients, staff and visitors is a fundamental responsibility for the hospital. The change to work practice does not in any way compromise this responsibility,” the spokesman said.
“Security personnel have traditionally been part of the hospital fire response team and are now engaged in the re-setting of fire alarms for which they have been appropriately trained to the satisfaction of experts on fire services management.”
In a joint statement today, both sides said industrial action by the electricians had “ceased with immediate effect” following an agreement to resolve the impasse between both parties.