Fórsa and health service employers met in the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) for several conciliation sessions aimed at resolving a dispute over job losses and staffing levels of administrative staff and health and social care professionals (HSCPs) in Louth County hospital and Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in late September.

Fórsa official Barry Cunningham said the conciliation had resulted in agreement to fill 12 HSCP posts on a permanent basis, and the union are awaiting approval for a further six HSCP posts to be filled on the same basis.

“We are now engaged in a process, and have a date for further WRC facilitated conciliation session in Drogheda next Monday (14th October),” he said.

Barry added that the union would continue discussing measures to address clerical vacancies in the hospitals at the upcoming WRC meeting.

The union has also expressed concern at growing shortages of health and social care professionals at Our Lady of Lourdes hospital, which it says are undermining hospital capacity.

Clerical-admin staff and HSCPs in the hospitals took limited industrial action from late August until WRC facilitated talks began in September.