AN INTENSIFICATION of industrial action by some 55,000 public servants over pay cuts began yesterday and will include not answering telephones in parts of the Health Service Executive (HSE) from this morning.
The action came as 83 per cent of members of the Civil, Public and Services Union (CPSU) voted to strike in protest at pay cuts.
Impact trade union members working in health, welfare, local government and education began to implement additional measures yesterday.
As part of rolling action, telephones across the HSE in Dublin and the northeast will not be answered by members between 9am and 1pm today.
This action will alternate tomorrow to the HSE west, the HSE south on Thursday, and Dublin and mid-Leinster on Friday.
The union has agreed to provide essential cover for emergency services.
The HSE and welfare workers involved in the escalated action include many administrative and clerical staff, social and childcare workers and other professionals including speech and language therapists.
These members have been instructed not to take on work associated with all vacant posts or associated with the realignment of cancer services and hospital services in the northeast and midwest.
Members are also refusing to deal with requests for information on parliamentary questions and freedom of information requests.
Similar action is also being taken by Impact members in local government and education.
They will not take on work associated with vacant posts, will not process political representations from Government politicians, nor will they supply performance indicators or co-operate with Fás graduate programmes.
Impact has members in all local authorities across the State, who are mainly in administrative roles.
Action in the education sector will be taken mainly among clerical and administrative staff in vocational educational committees and institutes of technology.
Non-answering of phones began in Mayo County Council yesterday and rolling action is to take place in other local authorities.
Yesterday Kevin Callinan of Impact said there was a “window” for negotiation with the Government if job security, pay rates and pension protection were on the table.
Separately the overwhelming vote in favour of strike action by CPSU members was described as “decisive” by general secretary Blair Horan.
He said he had not expected such a majority because people were also voting to lose wages by striking.
However, the Government’s decision to reverse cuts for senior public servants was a major factor in the vote, he said.
The CPSU is the first union to vote for strike action since the Government cut public service pay in the budget.
