Unite, which represents a range of grades across the Health Services Executive (HSE), said today (Monday) that it has served notice of industrial action over the staffing crisis resulting from the HSE’s ‘Pay and Numbers Strategy.’

Last year it emerged that, despite the HSE’s claim that a recruitment ban had ended, vacancies are being benchmarked against the 2024 headcount. The result is that any vacancies unfilled in 2023 have effectively been lost to the health service, leaving a staffing shortfall of over 2,000 posts.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “HSE workers have been trying to do more with less while worrying constantly that patients are not getting the care they deserve due to the staffing crisis.

“The ongoing failure to address the issue has left our members with no choice but to take action in defence of patient safety and their own working conditions.”

Unite is part of the ICTU group of healthcare unions representing HSE workers. An agreement with health service management means that unions are required to give three weeks’ notice of industrial action. Accordingly, Unite members working for the HSE, together with members of the INMO, FORSA, Connect and the MLSA, will be taking industrial action from Monday 31 March. The action will initially take the form of a work-to-rule during which members will not accede to any management requests to work overtime or perform any out-of-hours duties.

A survey of Unite members working for the HSE found the overwhelming majority reported that the number of vacancies in their department or team had remained the same since 31 December 2023, with workers highlighting the negative impact of staffing shortages on patient services and staff wellbeing.

Unite regional officer Eoin Drummey said: “Unions have exhausted all available avenues to resolve this dispute. HSE management now has just three weeks to roll back the discredited ‘Pay and Numbers Strategy’ and instead negotiate a safe staffing framework in the interests of workers and patients. If they fail to do so, our members will be engaging in a work-to-rule from Monday 31 March.”