The row over staffing which threatened significant disruption to patient services this week centred on what unions saw as a unilateral move by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to cap numbers employed in the health service.
On Sunday a deal was reached which will give unions a greater say in the process leading to workforce plans as well as new arrangements for covering maternity leave and converting jobs covered by agency staff into permanent posts. There will also be guarantees of job offers for healthcare graduates this year.
However, management sources insisted the principle of a centrally decided pay and numbers strategy – which sets out the funded workforce levels in the HSE – remains in place.
HSE chief Bernard Gloster said the proposed deal – which has to go to a ballot of union members – would not cost more money.
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He said while there would be no additional costs, there would be full recruitment within the approved levels set out in the executive’s pay and numbers strategy. There would also be efforts to reduce costs by converting more staff currently provided by agencies to permanent positions.
For the Government, the pay and numbers strategy was important in establishing financial control in the health service following controversy in 2023 when about 2,000 posts were filled without funding being in place. However, it has consistently said the employment ceiling set last year would increase over time.
On Sunday Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said more than 6,500 additional staff would be recruited this year, and the proposed agreement “will ensure the HSE continues to operate within its allocated budget”.
Trade unions, which on Sunday suspended their planned industrial action, said the proposals drawn up in talks at the Workplace Relations Commission sought “to develop and improve recruitment processes and workforce planning”.
The general secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, Phil Ní Sheaghdha, said unions wanted those employed in the health service to have an input into the workforce planning process. She said this had largely been achieved.
[ Industrial action by more than 80,000 healthcare workers on Monday called offOpens in new window ]
Unions would now look to see how many posts were lost following the implementation of the employment strategy and the number that had been filled. She said unions aimed to put any posts that had been lost front and centre in any talks on workforce planning with the HSE.
She added that the unions had secured cover for maternity leave, which was very important in a largely female workforce. Up to now women leaving on maternity leave were regularly not replaced. Now there was an agreement, she said, that all maternity leave posts would be filled. “That is extraordinarily important.”.
Mr Gloster maintained there would be a focus on accelerating the process of replacing staff leaving on maternity leave, but this had to be within the overall employment ceiling.
As with most industrial relations agreements, both sides on Sunday were highlighting the issues of importance to them. However, the suspension of the planned industrial action means all health services will operate as normal.
“The real winners are the public,” the HSE chief said.
