Following discussions between Ben O'Sullivan, the General Manager of University Hospital Waterford, and UNITE the Union, industrial action and work-to-rule at the hospital will be deferred from today, Monday July 29th.
On July 23rd, a letter was received by members of UNITE from Mr. O'Sullivan outlining a series of proposals.
In agreeing to defer the ongoing industrial action, UNITE said: "This deferment of Industrial Action is strictly contingent upon reaching a satisfactory agreement on all the proposals" as detailed in the letter received by members.
Industrial action has been ongoing at University Hospital Waterford since May, involving more than 100 UNITE members from the catering, laundry, and portering departments.
Commenting on the importance of the issues, a letter sent to Mr. O'Sullivan yesterday, July 28th read:
"The continued withholding and non-payment of the pay increase and retrospective payments due to our members, effective from January 1st 2024, remains a critical point of contention on behalf of our members and must be resolved promptly. The suggestion that the January PSA pay award be restored less the duration of the time spent participating in the Work-to-Rule, upon conclusion of the Industrial Action, which we again will not accept."
Industrial action has been deferred on the premise that the HSE address this specific issue regarding payment, with UNITE expressing their hope that immediate and productive discussions will begin, in a bid to resolve the dispute.
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