Fears of all out strike at Kilkenny hospital as winter season approaches
The threat of strike action at St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny looms amid fears staff will be overwhelmed during the busy winter period.
From next Monday, Fórsa members at St Luke’s Hospital and other Health Service Executive (HSE) run facilities in the region will be balloted for industrial action – up to and including strike action .
The union warned current pressures on services will escalate as demand rises in the winter months as existing staff are forced to cope with an insufficient staff numbers in most departments.
It comes after health staff staged a lunchtime protest outside St Luke’s yesterday, which was part of a series of similar actions taken by members of Fórsa, the INMO and SIPTU.
Fórsa said the protests were organised in response to the HSE’s suppression of thousands of frontline health posts, which impact on community and acute health services, mental health and services to older people.
