Unite members in National Ambulance Service to strike over pay

Frontline emergency workers in the National Ambulance Service (NAS) are preparing to take significant strike action next month, escalating a dispute over long-standing salary issues. Unite members will join their SIPTU colleagues on the picket line, highlighting a deep dissatisfaction with the HSE's handling of their pay and recognition.

Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham has voiced strong criticism, stating, "These are the frontline workers who save lives every day. It defies belief that they have spent six years waiting for their skills and expertise to be recognised." The dispute centers on the HSE's alleged failure to implement recommendations from an independent report aimed at updating salary scales to accurately reflect the evolving responsibilities and increased workload of ambulance service staff, including emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and supervisors.

The HSE has indicated its commitment to engaging in dispute resolution processes and has proposed new pay scales. However, these proposals were rejected by both Unite and SIPTU, who subsequently announced their intention to ballot for industrial action. The HSE maintains that any pay scale adjustments are contingent upon the approved financial envelope and the consent of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, suggesting a potential impasse between the unions' demands and governmental financial constraints.

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These are the frontline workers who save lives every day. It defies belief that they have spent six years waiting for their skills and expertise to be recognised.