The Caredoc pay dispute has moved closer to resolution after unions and management finalised a proposal following recent strike action by staff.

Health unions INMO and SIPTU confirmed that they will now ballot members on an offer made by Caredoc, after a strike took place on Thursday, December 18th.

The dispute centred on the implementation of the 2023 Workplace Relations Commission pay agreement for Section 39 organisations.

Union representatives said staff working in Caredoc were due an 8% pay increase, which had not been applied despite funding being provided by the HSE earlier this year.

Following the strike, Caredoc put forward revised proposals aimed at resolving the issue. As a result, further industrial action scheduled for December 23rd, 27th and 29th has been suspended.

INMO Industrial Relations Officer Grainne Walsh said staff did not want to strike, especially at such a busy time.

She said strike action became a last resort after efforts to resolve the issue failed.

Ms Walsh said fair and comparable pay remains essential to retaining staff across critical health services. She said out-of-hours and triage services provided by Caredoc staff play a vital role for patients and GPs nationwide.

SIPTU Health Division Industrial Organiser Ger McNally said members showed determination in pursuing their pay claim. He said earlier intervention could have avoided the dispute and subsequent strike action.

Mr McNally said the outcome shows the strength of collective action and he hopes the proposal will end the dispute.

The Caredoc pay dispute will now move to a ballot of union members in the coming weeks.

For the latest Waterford News and Sport , tune into WLR News on the hour and download the WLR App for news on demand