The HSE has moved to cut night- time cover at almost half of its ambulance bases in the south west region are to be thrashed out at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) after unions vehemently objected to the proposals. Last June, the HSE put forward several proposals aimed at rotating closures of ambulance stations in order to cut on-call payments to ambulance crews. SIPTU believes the HSE is softening its approach in the face of LRC meetings and that a brokered agreement will significantly dilute the initial proposals.
Under the proposals, only two of the three ambulance stations serving Youghal, Midleton and Fermoy would remain open any weekday night. Each one, it emerged, would have to close on a rotating basis.
It also proposed that only two of the stations serving Mallow, Kanturk, Millstreet and Macroom areas would remain operational, while Caherciveen and Kenmare would rotate cover on the two Kerry peninsulas. Listowel and Dingle ambulance stations would alternate to cover each other’s areas.
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