Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk with Aviva Insurance.
Chapter 2: What industrial action is the National Ambulance Service taking today?
The National Ambulance Service is taking industrial action today with their operations expected to be impacted. Patients are being advised to seek alternative care. I'm joined by work correspondent with the Irish Times, Emmet Malone. Good morning, Emmet.
Hi, Clare.
How serious do you judge this to be?
Well, I think it's going to get pretty serious tomorrow. The HSE was warning of possible disruption to services today, but that doesn't really seem to have materialised. The paramedics are on work to rule, and that seems to be mainly impacting internal services. But both sides believe that services will be significantly impacted tomorrow when really priority will be given to emergency calls.
But outside of that, it's not clear what level of service will be provided at all.
And are there attempts now to fix this, to sort it out, to reach an agreement?
Not really.
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Chapter 3: What impact will the ambulance service disruption have on patients?
No, that's been one of the most remarkable things. It's a very, very long saga. It's rooted in a report that was done in 2020. into the changing nature of the ambulance crew's role. The union side here, you know, argues that over a period of 15 to 20 years, that that role has been completely transformed.
The staff who are working in ambulances are far more highly qualified, have to, you know, go in from a situation many years ago where an ambulance attendant had to do a 30-week course. They now have level eight or level nine, that's honours degree or master's level qualifications.
Chapter 4: How serious is the current situation with the National Ambulance Service?
there's a whole range of things that they do now, the argument being that they try to save people's lives rather than hurry them to the hospital. And that review, that report in 2020 suggested that there should be a a wide-ranging review of the way that had changed. Management claimed that a lot of that has changed over the years.
And what's happened in the last couple of years is there's been two recommendations from the Workplace Relations Commission, which the unions have actually recommended to their members. The members have pushed back considerably. And the most recent ballot was in September of last year when more than 70% of the workers voted against the proposals.
And so the union finds, the two unions, Unite and SIPTU, find themselves in a slightly awkward position where they have recommended a deal which has been rejected. And now they're looking for a better offer from management. Management aren't really moving on that.
They have called for new talks, but the position appears to be that what they want to do is look forward at the next round of changes that they want made. And the union want those historical issues addressed first. They claim that the level of pay isn't anything close to what it should be. So there's a bit of a standoff at the moment and no talks in prospect.
And just on the more general point, people might remember Eoghan Reedy, the General Secretary of ICTU, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, saying in the midst or in the wake of the fuel protests that the rules of engagement for public action have changed.
Now, does that seem to indicate in your view that we might see more action or unions more willing and ready to take action, given what we saw happen in light of those fuel protests?
Yeah, I think there's definitely a mood in the trade union movement that they have not been taking seriously in some of the issues that they've raised over the last couple of years. This ambulance dispute has been in the pipeline for a long time, you know, in its current iteration for many months and beyond that for years. So I don't think that's part of it.
But I think, you know, all of the unions will be looking at what happens here and how, you know, how the unions conduct themselves and what the outcome of any strike action is.
OK, so how long do you expect to see this one running for?
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