Health service unions are today beginning intensive talks with Health Service Execuitve (HSE) management over the introduction of work practice changes among 110,000 healthcare staff.
The Irish Timesrevealed on Thursday that the HSE had proposed introducing restrictions on employment, reviewing temporary staff contracts and reforming annual leave, sick leave and expenses arrangements as part of new cost-containment proposals.
At a meeting between unions and management late last week, the HSE also suggested there should be greater provision to allow it to re-deploy or re-assign staff where necessary, including on an involuntary basis in some cases.
THE HSE has told trade unions that the Government wants it to maintain the existing level of services next year, despite the restrictions in the level of funding increases provided by the exchequer.
It said the Government wanted it to make up any shortfall in funding through efficiencies, productivity and work practice reforms.
The HSE has told unions it faces a shortfall of €300 – €400 million if it was to maintain existing levels of services.
The HSE received an increase of 3.5 per cent in its funding for next year compared with rises of over 9 per cent in recent years. It has also been told that it has to fund a 3.5 per cent pay increase for staff due next September under the proposed new national pay deal from its own resources.
As part of an agreement reached on Friday, the HSE and unions are today beginning an intensive set of discussions starting next week on work practice and operational issues.
However, it is understood that unions have signalled they will not agree to any changes on issues such as sick leave or travel and subsistence in the health sector as these are governed by agreements that apply across the public sector.
Unions have said that if the HSE wanted reforms in these areas, it would have to ask the Government to enter into negotiations on change across the public service.
The new talks will also encompass cutbacks that are likely to be put forward in the HSE's service plan for the year.
