Orla Considine

Yeah, we are.

I'm on the picket line.

I work here in the Midwest, so I'm in Ennis where we're currently on the picket line today, unfortunately.

Well, there's unity amongst the colleagues, but there's a great sense of regret that things have gone this far also.

Nobody wants to be on the picket line.

Their mood is, I suppose, picked up by the fact that so much support has been issued and shown to them by the public and by people calling to see them, giving them support, dropping them drinks, making sure that they're looked after and telling them that they do support them.

But everybody's hoping that today is going to be the day one and only.

They're not looking forward to this having to go further.

Dread.

Absolute dread because this doesn't look like it's going to be enough.

It still doesn't look like we're being listened to.

I will be saying that, unfortunately, it probably looks like that at this stage.

You might say, and it's been spun that that's down to the staff and that that's our fault.

But, you know, it's not because we don't have the power to change

the needs that are there at the minute.

And so that is down to the department and that is down to the HSE to change the tone of talks that are not happening at the minute.

This action hasn't been taken by any member of staff likely.

You know, this is a process that's ongoing, I suppose,

Specifically six years, but really it's ongoing 12 years.

There have been two previous votes on sets of proposals that have been put forward by the Department of Health HSE through our National Ambulance Service Management and in the guise of the workplace relations.