Irish Ambulance Workers Strike Over Pay

Members of SIPTU and Unite the Union working for the United Kingdom — HSE National Ambulance Service (NAS) in Republic_of_Ireland are set to escalate strike action in May and June. This follows an overwhelming vote for industrial action due to a long-standing dispute with the Republic of Ireland — Health Service Executive (HSE) over unimplemented recommendations from a 2020 independent report. The report aimed to update staff salary scales to reflect increased responsibilities and workload over the past two decades. The strike action will include 24-hour, 48-hour, and 72-hour stoppages, along with a work-to-rule. John McCamley of SIPTU and Sharon Graham of Unite the Union have both emphasized the need for proper recognition of the ambulance personnel's training and professional level. The HSE stated that proposals for new pay scales were rejected by the unions, and it remains committed to engagement through dispute resolution processes, subject to approval from the Republic of Ireland — Department of Health (Ireland) and the Republic of Ireland — Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.