Clerical and admin staff at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda have escalated their industrial action in a dispute over staff cuts that have closed the hospital’s health promotion department.
Staff have been observing a work to rule, including a refusal to provide statistical information to management, since early November. From today (Monday 14th November) staff will stop collecting emergency department fees and will cease to submit completed claims to health insurers.
A massive 95% of staff voted to act in response to the hospital group’s decision to let several clerical officers go.
The staff were working on agency contracts, which IMPACT wants converted to permanent posts. Some of the workers were dismissed with just 24 hours’ notice. The rest either have no contract or have short-term contracts, many of which are due to expire shortly. They are among the lowest paid staff in the hospital.
The union said a review by hospital management found that the existing 47 additional clerical officers were needed to run the hospital. It has advised members not to cooperate with redeployment and not to carry out the work of dismissed colleagues.
IMPACT official Ray Ryan said: “We had no choice but to ballot our members for industrial action to protect staff whose jobs have become vulnerable and to convince management that all these posts are necessary and should be filled permanently.
“Senior management have refused to take our concerns seriously. At a recent meeting with management they informed us there was nothing new to discuss. We’ve made it clear to management that this is completely unacceptable. The escalation today is due to management’s failure to make any progress on this issue,” he said.
IMPACT has advised its members not to co-operate with redeployment and not to carry out the work of vacant posts. Ray added that he is investigating reports that that work in dispute is being undertaken or undermined by management or other categories of staff. He has advised management that this could result in more serious action being taken in affected areas.
Ray said IMPACT remained open to discussions with management.
