Standoff at St Mary's Hospital, Castlebar as strikers prevent ambulance drivers crossing the official picket line.
Official strike action is in place at St Mary's Hospital and St Theresa's Unit, Castlebar, County Mayo, following the expiration of notice of intention to withdraw services by psychiatric nursing staff. The strike is over the conditions of recruitment and staff-management relations at local level.
On the instruction of the government the Army Catering Corps were deployed at the 18-ward hospital to provide meals for its 600 patients.
They also arrived under Garda escort and were heckled by the strikers.
Later a fleet of four ambulances arrived at St Mary's Hospital to bring 50 patients to the district hospital in Swinford. According to the Western Health Board this is necessary because it cannot guarantee the level of care needed by the patients. The regular ambulance drivers refused to carry out the operation in support of the strikers. Senior officers driving the ambulances are jeered and booed.
The nurses then staged a sit down protest and prevented the transfer from taking place.
After a daylong session to try to ease the effects of the dispute on the hospital's patients, talks to end the strike have broken down.
The situation here is still deadlocked and tense.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 8 May 1983. The reporter is Jim Fahy.
