Healthcare unions have suspended a planned work-to-rule that was due to begin tomorrow after agreement was reached in a dispute over staffing numbers.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, Fórsa, Connect, Unite, and the Medical Laboratory Scientists Association made the announcement following the conclusion of 25 hours of talks with HSE management at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).
From tomorrow, 80,000 health workers were due to commence a work-to-rule in healthcare settings across the country.
On Thursday, members of the INMO and Fórsa were planning to engage in a one-day strike at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.
The planned action has now been suspended and union members will be balloted on the deal agreed with the HSE.
The unions said that the proposals seek to develop and improve recruitment processes and workforce planning.
Under the agreement, maternity leave cover in the health service will be prioritised, there will be greater consultation with unions on future staffing decisions and an increase in the conversion of agency posts to HSE jobs.
Employment ceilings set under the HSE's Pay and Numbers Strategy would remain in place but the agreement will prioritise promotion opportunities for existing staff within the health service.
In a statement, the HSE said services will operate normally throughout the country tomorrow following the WRC agreement.
CEO of the HSE Bernard Gloster said the agreement would bring "a lot of clarity and agreement around how processes work, in terms of recruitment, in terms of the management of workforce issues".
He said he hoped that clarity would give a lot of comfort to all healthcare workers and not just the unions that were in dispute.
"There were five unions in dispute, obviously a number of other unions in the health space. And all workers will have the same clarity," he said.
"We are very pleased that the threat of disruption tomorrow has been lifted and our commitment to all of our workforce and all representative bodies is reflected in the agreement," Mr Gloster said.
Ballot on proposals
INMO General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: "The challenges around safe staffing have intensified for nurses, midwives and other healthcare workers over the last eighteen months,"
"While progress has been made with the HSE in these proposals on ensuring that vacant posts will be filled and streamlining the approval process to undo the delaying bureaucracy around the process of filling vacant posts."
"Nurses and midwives will now be balloted on the proposals. They will want to be assured by their employer that the delivery of safe staffing is an immediate priority," she added.
Head of Fórsa's Health and Welfare Division, Ashley Connolly said the union's divisional executive met this morning and made the decision to stand down the industrial action to allow time to consider these proposals.
"For the last eighteen months, we have been driven by a concern both on the effect on service delivery of the Pay and Numbers Strategy and our members' concerns about staffing services properly," Ms Connolly said.
Eoin Drummey of Unite said they are satisfied that there is now a set of proposals that may bring about a resolution to this dispute which will be subject to a ballot of our members.
"Notwithstanding the significant challenges faced by our healthcare members through inadequate staffing and the over-reliance on agency and outsourcing," Mr Drummey said.
Brian McAvinue, Connect Trade Union said that its members have faced many challenges since the introduction of the HSE's recruitment moratorium and subsequent Pay and Numbers Strategy.
"While progress has been made, there is still a body of work to be done on the commitments made on delivering direct employment," Mr McAvinue said.
Members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) began a work-to-rule on Wednesday as part of the same dispute.
The action remains in place for now and the board of the PNA will meet tomorrow to consider the agreement that has been reached.
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SIPTU and the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) were also represented at the WRC talks.
"The Pay & Numbers Strategy has presented significant challenges for our members," said Kevin Figgis, Divisional Head, SIPTU Health Division.
"We have secured a robust set of proposals which will now be brought to our national committee for consideration," he added.
The IMO said it will consider the terms of the agreement to determine if they adequately address the concerns of doctors in the context of delivering safe care and tackling long working hours.
The Irish Patients' Association welcomed the suspension of the broader industrial action but expressed concern about the ongoing work-to-rule by the Psychiatric Nurses Association.
"While the wider health system resumes normal activity, the ongoing work-to-rule by psychiatric nurses serves as a sharp reminder that mental health remains on the margins of healthcare planning," said Stephen McMahon, Founder and Director of the Irish Patients Association.
"These are not elective services, they are critical for people in crisis," he added.
Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll McNeill has welcomed the agreement.
"This agreement ensures patient safety and continued delivery of all essential services," Ms Carroll McNeill said.
"I am delighted that our plans to recruit over 6,500 additional staff in 2025 will continue, while this agreement will ensure that the HSE continue to operate within their allocated pay budget," she added.
