The country's largest public sector union has intensified its industrial action today as part of its ongoing campaign against pay cuts and threats to pensions.
Members of the IMPACT trade union have increased industrial action at workplaces in the health, welfare, education, local government and services division.
From tomorrow morning, workers in alternating HSE areas will stop answering phones for four hour periods.
Beginning today, union members in the health and welfare division are not taking on any work associated with vacant posts. They are also not doing any work associated with three major HSE projects involving the realignment of cancer care services and the configuration of hospitals in the northwest and the midwest regions.
IMPACT members are also refusing to process any requests for information for parliamentary questions or applications under the Freedom of Information Act.
From tomorrow, HSE staff will not answer telephones from 9am until 1pm in a different HSE region each day.
The action begins tomorrow morning in the Dublin and North East HSE region and includes voluntary hospitals. However, emergency department telephones and the main switchboards in acute hospitals will continue to be answered.
The action moves to the HSE West region on Wednesday, HSE South on Thursday, and HSE Dublin and Mid-Leinster on Friday.
The IMPACT trade union has given notice of its plans to the HSE this week, but said it may not necessarily do so next week.
IMPACT members working in education and local government and services are also engaged in a work-to-rule and will not be doing the work attached to any vacant posts.
