The strike at Tullamore General Hospital has its roots in the sale of the Consolation Nursing Home to the private sector more than 18 months ago.
Nineteen staff working at the nursing home were transferred to the hospital where they were to be absorbed under an agreement between the Midland Health Board and SIPTU, the union representing the workers.
The union said the agreement covering the transfer specified that the workers would not "do any new additional work or work not currently undertaken". It said the workers, who are involved in catering, cleaning, heating and maintenance duties, were recently rostered for other duties which impacted on the conditions of existing staff. The union accused the health board of breaking the agreement it made 12 months ago and balloted its members the week before last, claiming jobs were at risk at the hospital.
Strike notice was served on the board 10 days ago but talks to resolve the issue continued until late on Wednesday evening, when they broke down.
The Midland Health Board, in a statement announcing the breakdown of talks, denied it had broken the agreement with the union.
It said there had been no layoffs and the staff transferred from the nursing home enjoyed enhanced earnings and guaranteed employment.
It said the strike was "unwarranted and unnecessary" and asked the union to defer the action pending an investigation of the issue by the Labour Relations Commission.
"The Midland Health Bord strenuously deny that it has breached any agreement with SIPTU and stresses there have been no job losses, no pay reductions, no change of job content and that no staff member had been asked to undertake duties not appropriate to his or her grade," said the board statement.
Mr Seamus Buggle, branch secretary of the Offaly branch of SIPTU, said the union had been forced to take industrial action as a result of the deliberate "and calculated unilateral cancellation" by the board of the agreement signed in good faith 12 months ago.
"What is at issue is that the board unilaterally attempted to change the agreement without consultation with us and we cannot allow that," he said.
"We accept the right of the Midland Health Board to disagree with our interpretation of the agreement and at no time have we as a union indicated any unwillingness to renegotiate the terms of the agreement," he said.
Mr Buggle said the board's action was especially reprehensible given that a Labour Relations Commission conference could have been arranged within a matter of days. The board, he said, refused to reinstate the agreement even for such a short period.
"The union is bewildered at this unprecedented departure from well-established and agreed practice by the health board, especially given that we have never been given an opportunity to renegotiate and we had never indicated any unwillingness to renegotiate," Mr Buggle said.