HSE warns industrial action to impact ambulance services

The Health Service Executive has warned the National Ambulance Service will experience delays in responding to non-life-threatening calls due to industrial action by staff.

Around 2,000 members of SIPTU and Unite will engage in a work-to-rule today and a 24-hour strike tomorrow in a dispute over pay.

The HSE said that during the industrial action, the capacity of the National Ambulance Service to respond will be significantly impacted.

The HSE added that a contingency plan has been put in place to prioritise patient safety and minimise disruption.

The 999-phone service is fully operational and under the contingency plan, priority will be given to patients facing emergencies, such as cardiac or respiratory arrest, and those experiencing serious trauma such as that arising from road traffic accidents.

Members of the public are being urged to consider alternative healthcare options such as injury units, GP surgeries, local pharmacies and mental health supports.

'Scandalous'

Unions have accused the HSE of failing to implement the recommendations of an independent report on updating staff salary scales to reflect changes in responsibilities and workload.

"We call on the HSE to implement the recommendations of the independent report without preconditions and to introduce enhanced pay scales which properly recognise the training and professional level that our members are now carrying out their duties on a daily basis," said SIPTU Ambulance Sector Organiser John McCamley.

In addition to this week's action, unions said there will be a 48-hour stoppage on 19 May and a 72-hour stoppage on 26 May, with further strike action planned for June.

Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said: "It is scandalous that these frontline workers have been waiting for six years for their skills and expertise to be recognised."

'Clear resolve'

The HSE said it regrets the decision of SIPTU and Unite to proceed with industrial action, adding that it has worked intensively with the unions to resolve the dispute over the past two years under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission.

"A set of independently brokered proposals aimed at resolving the dispute and all other matters in dispute, including pay and service transformation, were agreed and recommended to their members by both SIPTU and Unite," a HSE spokesperson said.

"The implementation of the timing of the significant increases in pay was also the subject of a Labour Court recommendation," it added.

The HSE said: ""In July 2025, the HSE and Government accepted both the WRC proposals and the Labour Court recommendation, demonstrating a clear resolve and determination to address the current dispute."

The executive said the proposals included 3% -14% pay improvements, on top of a 9.25% increase under the public sector pay agreement, linked to agreed reforms.

"In September 2025, SIPTU and Unite informed the HSE that the proposals independently brokered by the WRC, supported by a Labour Court recommendation and recommended by both trade unions had been rejected by their members," the HSE said.

The HSE added that it remains firmly committed to addressing the current dispute through the process set out in Public Service Agreement and "calls upon both SIPTU and Unite to withdraw the proposed industrial and strike action and engage through the State's industrial relations mechanisms".