Proposals would see laundry workers included in regrading scheme

Unite welcomes management’s decision to engage, but warns action may be resumed if agreement not reached

Trade union Unite, which represents support staff in University Hospital Waterford (UHW), has deferred a work-to- rule by laundry, catering and portering grades. The union said that the action, which has been ongoing since the end of May, was being deferred from noon today to allow for talks regarding proposals received from UHW.

The dispute, which centred on the HSE’s failure to include laundry workers at UHW in a regrading scheme and their decision not to award incremental credits to portering and catering workers, had been exacerbated by the decision to withhold pay increases due from January under the Public Service Agreement (PSA).

As well as indicating that laundry workers will now be included in the regrading scheme, the employer has also now stated that increases due under the PSA will be paid.

However, in a move which Unite considers unacceptable, they are proposing to deduct the period of the work-to-rule from the PSA pay increases.

Unite regional officer Eoin Drummey welcomed the employer’s decision to engage meaningfully with Unite, but warned that the work-to-rule may be resumed if a satisfactory agreement is not reached: He said:

“Unite members took this action as a last resort in the absence of meaningful engagement on the part of the employer.

“While we welcome management’s recent decision to engage and advance proposals, and the movement in respect of laundry workers, our members are dismayed at the indication that they may exclude the period of the work-to-rule from the pay increase.

“Our members decided to defer the work-to-rule to allow for talks on the proposals advanced by UHW management. However, management should be under no doubt that our members may resume the action if a satisfactory agreement is not reached on all issues”.