THE UNION Impact has warned of potential industrial relations conflict in the health service if a national agreement is not reached between the Government and the social partners.
In an address at the opening of the union’s health and welfare division conference in Castlebar last night, Impact’s national secretary Kevin Callinan said the Government, the HSE and other public service employers would be making a very big mistake if they took as a sign of weakness the result of the recent ballot which saw members fail to back by a sufficient margin participation in the planned national day of strikes at the end of March.
He said the last two weeks had seen majorities in favour of local industrial action ballots – in Sligo, Clonmel and the mid-west – over health management’s attempts to unilaterally cut jobs or reduce incomes.
Mr Callinan said the union would “defend every member” who followed its advice not to co-operate with the imposition of cuts. He said a fortnight ago Impact had told members not to co-operate with a draft HSE circular which would introduce a blanket embargo on recruitment and promotions, cut allowances for staff who had taken on extra responsibilities, and impose massive changes in working practices.
In a warning to Ministers, who are expected to meet with the social partners next week in a final bid to secure a national recovery deal, Mr Callinan said: “I assure the Government and the HSE that, although this union has always sought a collective approach to tackling the problems in our health services, we are equally ready and able to take the other path if you choose to abandon the committed and loyal staff who work to provide health services.”
He argued that the union would win public support for any industrial action that aimed at saving services as well as pay and conditions for workers.
Mr Callinan said the union had tried for over a year, without success, to negotiate an accord with the HSE over jobs and services, but instead the HSE had chosen to try to impose change.
In his address Mr Callinan said that there had been “a lot of soul searching” in Impact following the vote on the day of action, and he said it was accepted that “mistakes were made in the ballot arrangements”.
“It is accepted that, in our determination to forge a common all-union strategy through the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, members felt the issue which concerned them most – the levy – had taken a back seat. It is accepted that the momentum built through the political lobby and the mass demo in Dublin was lost, and that all of this contributed to the deeply disappointing ballot outcome. I can assure you that lessons have been learned and that mistakes will not be repeated.”Meanwhile, the conference was told local government is in danger of becoming “sham democracy” because a crisis in funding has left councils without the resources they need to provide services.
In an address to Impact’s local government, education and local services division conference in Castlebar last night, cathaoirleach Tom Murray said the Government had failed to invest in local services during the boom years while local authorities now faced a growing crisis as rates, development levies, planning and other local revenue streams dried up.
He said the crisis was compounded by a collapse in morale among local authority staff “caused by years of underinvestment and Government unwillingness to defend public services against constant attacks”. He said efforts by Minister for Local Government John Gormley to establish an elected mayor in Dublin fell short of what was needed to reinvigorate local democracy.
