Fórsa has confirmed that planned industrial action by perfusionists scheduled for Thursday 2nd, Friday 3rd and Monday 6th July has been paused following engagement with the HSE on the implementation of a Labour Court recommendation.
The HSE has indicated that it is prepared to move to implement Labour Court Recommendation LCR23209, which found that a long-standing pay link between perfusionists and medical scientists had been breached and should be restored with retrospective effect to 1st January 2024.
However, the HSE has proposed that the implementation of the Labour Court’s recommendation be addressed through the local bargaining provisions of the current public service pay agreement. Fórsa has made clear that this approach does not provide a credible basis for implementing the recommendation. The limited scope of local bargaining provisions is insufficient to give full effect to the recommendation, and risks both diluting its intent and undermining the operation of those provisions more broadly.
The union has agreed to pause industrial action to allow for focused engagement on how the recommendation can be implemented in a manner that is consistent with its terms and intent.
Fórsa official Ryan McKinney said: “The Labour Court recommendation is clear. This is a matter of implementation, not negotiation. We will now engage with the HSE to ensure that the recommendation is honoured in full and in a way that does not create further complications.”
He added that the union will keep the situation under close review: “If a satisfactory pathway to implementation is not agreed, industrial action will resume, with stoppages already notified for Tuesday 7th and Wednesday 8th July.”
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