Fórsa Clinical Measurement Physiologists in the HSE and Section 38 hospitals will begin industrial action from normal starting time on Friday 30th January 2026 until further notice.
This industrial action is following your ballot for industrial action, up to and including strike action, to secure:
- The completion of the joint union management workforce review for Clinical Measurement Physiologists and the implementation of the recommendations of that review.
- An agreed staffing and governance model for Community Hubs under the ECC programme.
- An end to outsourcing of Clinical Measurement Physiology Services in the public health sector.
Who does this apply to?
All Fórsa Clinical Measurement Physiologist members employed by the HSE and Section 38 voluntary hospitals. This includes Cardiac, Respiratory, Neurophysiology, Vascular Physiology and GI Physiology services.
Instructions for industrial action:
- Adhere strictly to the terms of your contract of employment. This includes not carrying out work appropriate to other professionals e.g. clerical, support staff, medical and nursing colleagues.
- This also includes not carrying out work/ duties that are outside of your grade e.g. senior physiologists being asked to take on management responsibilities without an approved Temporary Higher Appointment.
- Not work outside your agreed contract working hours (excludes flexitime).
- Not work overtime or work up additional hours on TOIL (Time Off In Lieu).
- Members should decline, unless normally rostered, to work over weekends and / or bank holidays.
- Unless contracted to do so members should not provide on call services out of hours.
- Members should not use their work allocated mobile phone or check work emails outside of their normal working hours unless it is for emergency purposes.
In addition, members should:
- Strictly adhere to the rules and procedures governing your post. This specifically includes conducting all relevant tests within your scope of practise and providing the relevant measurements in a report format without interpretation or summary. Members should continue to verbally escalate results of critical findings.
- Withdraw from any engagement / information provision to PWC Ireland / any other third-party consultancy firm
- Withdraw from any further roll-out / service development of Community Hubs beyond that in situ at the 26th July 2024.
- Immediately cease the practice of conducting routine tests for ‘walk in’ patients
- Immediately cease the practice of conducting expediated tests for patients who attend following private consultations on hospital sites.
- Only undertake discharge dependent diagnostics where there is a justified clinical need.
- Withdraw from co-operation with third level student placements and education due to commence on or after the date of this instruction. This includes but is not limited to supervision of student placements, provision of guest lectures, engagement with research projects.
- Withdraw from all engagement and discussions in relation to ongoing change management programmes across all care
- Withdraw from co-operation with third level student placements and education due to commence on or after the date of this instruction. This includes but is not limited to supervision of student placements, provision of guest lectures, engagement with research projects.
- Withdraw from all engagement and discussions in relation to ongoing change management programmes across all care areas. This includes but is not limited to any working groups, planning meetings, restructuring proposals, consultation meetings, scoping exercises, discussion meetings / forums/ surveys etc – whether online or in person.
- Withdraw from all local, regional or national committees, advisory groups etc and decline to attend any meetings whether online or in person.
- Decline to return national information / data returns e.g., KPI’s, A&E Stats, delayed discharges, monthly activities etc. This includes non-engagement in online forums and / or teleconference in relation to same.
- Not undertake tasks, functions or responsibilities associated with any vacant post.
- Not undertake tasks, functions or responsibilities associated with any post that the employer has failed to replace due to maternity leave.
- Not engage with any proposals in relation to the extended working week.
Other phased action, including work stoppages, will be considered should there be a requirement to escalate this dispute.
Only by coming together, can you and your colleagues hope to win this dispute.
Join a trade union that wins. Join Fórsa.