Unions representing craft-workers in local authorities, hospitals and health boards have been accused of jeopardising emergency services by their decision to go on strike this Friday. In a joint statement last night, the Local Government Management Services Board and the Health Service Employers Agency criticised the unions for refusing to meet them to discuss the provision of emergency services during the dispute.
"Hospital services will be disrupted immediately," a spokesman for the two agencies said. "Water supply and sanitary services will also be immediately at risk should the threatened strike action go ahead."
He described the refusal of the unions to meet management and agree levels of emergency service as "unprecedented in the conduct of industrial disputes in the local government and health service".
The dispute is over a pay claim for £27.69p a week to bring craft-workers' rates of pay into line with those in the private sector and in semi-State companies. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has invited the unions to a meeting this morning to review the situation.
Given the seriousness of the dispute, it is expected that the Labour Court or Labour Relations Commission will attempt to intervene in the dispute by Friday. However, they are only likely to do so if the craft unions indicate they will defer strike action, and there was little sign of that yesterday.
Their spokesman, Mr Finbarr Maguire of the TEEU, accused management yesterday of being irresponsible in constantly raising the issue of emergency services, instead of discussing the substantive issue of pay. He accused management of abusing the negotiating procedures to avoid meeting the craft-workers' claim.
SIPTU general operatives in the health and local government sectors have also served strike notice over pay. This is due to run out on Friday, December 5th, but reliable sources said yesterday that many SIPTU members would refuse to pass the craft-workers' pickets if they are still in place on Monday morning.
More than 4,000 craft-workers are involved in the dispute and another 30,000 SIPTU members. SIPTU has a relativity agreement that gives them 80 per cent of whatever increase is eventually won by the craft-workers.
So far management has indicated it is prepared to offer around £13 to the craft-workers, but in return it wants significant extra productivity. The craft-workers say they have a long-standing "analogue" agreement with craft-workers in other sectors, which provides a formula for automatic increases.
The dispute has the potential to seriously disrupt public services if it goes ahead, and to seriously undermine public sector pay policy if the craft unions win their claim without having to concede significant extra productivity. The gravest immediate threat is to hospital services, but public health could also be threatened if breakdowns occurred in water and sewage supplies.
Many companies which are large users of water, such as Intel and Aughinish Alumina, might have to lay off staff as well, if services were affected.