Cardiac specialists pause planned strike action

Planned strike action by perfusionists, specialized cardiovascular technicians who operate the heart-lung machines essential for surgery, has been halted. The decision to pause the industrial action came after discussions with the Health Service Executive (HSE) concerning the implementation of a Labour Court recommendation.

The Fórsa trade union, representing the perfusionists, had accused the HSE of unilaterally breaking a long-standing pay parity between perfusionists and medical scientists. They also alleged the HSE refused to implement a Labour Court recommendation aimed at restoring this link. The planned stoppages, which would have led to the cancellation of cardiac surgeries across five hospitals, were scheduled for Thursday, Friday, and Monday, July 6.

Perfusionists have now agreed to stand down these strikes to allow for further engagement on how the Labour Court's recommendation can be implemented. Fórsa official Ryan McKinney emphasized that this is a matter of implementation, not negotiation. The union seeks to ensure the recommendation is honored fully and without creating further complications.

However, Fórsa has issued a warning: if the engagement does not yield a satisfactory outcome, work stoppages are still planned for Tuesday, July 7, and Wednesday, July 8. The union believes the HSE's proposal to address the recommendation through local bargaining provisions within the current public service pay agreement is insufficient to fully implement the Labour Court's directive. A 24-hour strike by perfusionists last month had previously resulted in the cancellation of cardiac surgeries.

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This is a matter of implementation, not negotiation. We will now engage with the HSE to ensure that the recommendation is honoured in full and in a way that does not create further complications