Workers at Waterford Regional Hospital, just one of the many locations that were picketed during Tuesday’s National Day
Tuesday’s public service strike caused considerable disruption to a range of services throughout Waterford, including health, education, local authorities, the courts and public administration.
Hundreds of public sector workers picketed a range of offices across the city and county throughout the day, with protestors at Waterford City Council offices on The Mall joined by Mayor of Waterford John Halligan during the morning.
All sittings at Waterford Courthouse were cancelled all day, while primary local primary and post-primary schools remained closed. Up to 100 teachers picketed the Department of Education offices at the Johnstown Industrial Estate, however pickets were not placed on local schools as, unions maintained, teachers did not have an issue with school management, only the Government.
Some 490 members of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland at Waterford Institute of Technology took part in the strike, across the institute’s four campuses. TUI Branch Secretary Kathleen Moore Walsh said cuts to education were having a hugely negative knock on effect for all of society and in particular for WIT’s aspirations for university status. She said unprecedented threats are being made to their pay, pensions, terms and conditions of employment as well as to education itself.
The majority of local authority staff took part in the strike, with most Waterford City and County council offices closed and Tuesday’s refuse collections rescheduled for later in the week.
The Waterford Treasures Museum at the Granary remained shut, as did the city’s Greyfriars Gallery. Emergency cover was provided in both the city and county in relation to fire and water services.
As with elsewhere in the country, a “Christmas Day level” of cover applied at Waterford Regional Hospital and over 200 nursing and healthcare staff maintained the picket at any time during the day at Ardkeen and also the HSE building on the Cork Road. All non-emergency hospital procedures were cancelled on both Monday and Tuesday and outpatient clinics postponed for Tuesday only. A limited service was operated at A&E and by the local ambulance services, while the HSE swine flu vaccination clinic on the Cork Road remained closed. The area’s voluntary intellectual disability services, care of the elderly services, home help and palliative care services were exempted from the strike, as were such hospital services as intensive care, burns units, dialysis, oncology units, neurosurgery and maternity. Public Health Nurses for the Waterford area provided weekend cover level of services and Mental Health Nurses emergency cover. Home help services were not affected.
The Department of Social and Family Affairs offices on the Cork Road were closed and people due to sign on for jobseeker’s benefit or jobseeker’s allowance at Waterford’s social welfare offices were not required to do so. Those on short- term schemes and whose weekly payment was due to be paid on Tuesday experienced a delay of one day. Categories affected were maternity benefit, illness benefit, a small number of jobseeker payments and supplementary welfare payment.
Meanwhile at time of going to press, unions warned that they may announce another one-day strike on Thursday 3 December, six days ahead of the Budget, unless an agreement is reached in negotiations between the Government. Public sector unions say the Government has refused to engage with them on other ways of cutting the state pay and pensions bill by €1.3bn, without hitting pay, pensions or services.
Hundreds picket for public sector strike
The Waterford Treasures Museum at the Granary remained shut, as did the city’s Greyfriars Gallery. Emergency cover was provided in both the city and county in relation to fire and water services.
As with elsewhere in the country, a “Christmas Day level” of cover applied at Waterford Regional Hospital and over 200 nursing and healthcare staff maintained the picket at any time during the day at Ardkeen and also the HSE building on the Cork Road. All non-emergency hospital procedures were cancelled on both Monday and Tuesday and outpatient clinics postponed for Tuesday only. A limited service was operated at A&E and by the local ambulance services, while the HSE swine flu vaccination clinic on the Cork Road remained closed. The area’s voluntary intellectual disability services, care of the elderly services, home help and palliative care services were exempted from the strike, as were such hospital services as intensive care, burns units, dialysis, oncology units, neurosurgery and maternity. Public Health Nurses for the Waterford area provided weekend cover level of services and Mental Health Nurses emergency cover. Home help services were not affected.
The Department of Social and Family Affairs offices on the Cork Road were closed and people due to sign on for jobseeker’s benefit or jobseeker’s allowance at Waterford’s social welfare offices were not required to do so. Those on short- term schemes and whose weekly payment was due to be paid on Tuesday experienced a delay of one day. Categories affected were maternity benefit, illness benefit, a small number of jobseeker payments and supplementary welfare payment.
Meanwhile at time of going to press, unions warned that they may announce another one-day strike on Thursday 3 December, six days ahead of the Budget, unless an agreement is reached in negotiations between the Government. Public sector unions say the Government has refused to engage with them on other ways of cutting the state pay and pensions bill by €1.3bn, without hitting pay, pensions or services.
