The Services Industrial Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU) has formally notified the National Ambulance Service (NAS) of planned strike action next month, marking a significant escalation in a long-running dispute with the Health Service Executive (HSE) over pay and working conditions.
Around 2,000 SIPTU members working across the ambulance service in Ireland, including Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), paramedics, advanced paramedics, specialist paramedics and supervisors, have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action, up to and including full strike action.
The planned industrial action will begin with a 24-hour strike on 12 May, followed by a 48-hour stoppage starting on 19 May and a 72-hour stoppage from 26 May. Further strikes are also scheduled for June.
In addition, a work-to-rule will commence on 11 May, meaning staff will not cooperate with new procedures or changes introduced by management.
The dispute centres on the HSE’s failure to implement recommendations from an independent review published in 2020, which called for updated salary scales to reflect the increased responsibilities and workload of ambulance staff over the past two decades.
According to SIPTU, ambulance personnel now provide a far higher level of pre-hospital care than in the past, requiring additional training, qualifications and clinical decision making. The union argues that despite these expanded duties,including a significant increase in medication administration, staff pay and grading structures have not been updated to reflect these changes.
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