SIPTU, INMO members suspend Caredoc strike action

SIPTU members employed by Caredoc have agreed to defer their planned industrial action until they have fully considered new pay proposals presented by management.

It comes after the GP out-of-hours service in the south east of the country and the HSE reached a resolution by agreement last night.

Caredoc has said that it has secured "sufficient HSE funding" to meet the demands of the INMO and SIPTU to end the current strike action.

A spokesperson for SIPTU said that following a special meeting of its strike committee this morning, the union has now agreed that the industrial action scheduled to take place next week and over the Christmas period will be stood down.

This decision, they said, was taken "pending consideration of the proposals" by its members.

SIPTU Health Division Industrial Organiser Ger McNally said: "Our members showed great determination and strength in engaging in strike action to pursue their legitimate pay claim.

"It was most unfortunate that the HSE and Caredoc management did not intervene sooner to resolve this pay dispute, which could have averted yesterday's strike action."

Mr McNally added: "The strength and resolve shown by our membership throughout this process has yielded a positive outcome.

"We hope this action demonstrates the power and strength workers can achieve when they join together to become a strong voice in the workplace to take industrial action."

Meanwhile, in a statement issued this morning, a spokesperson for the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said it received a formal offer late last night from Caredoc seeking to resolve the matters at the centre of the pay dispute.

The spokesperson said: "Following consultation with our members, a decision was made to suspend strike action at midnight. No decision has been made on planned strike days for the next two weeks.

"We have sought a meeting with Caredoc management this morning to discuss the offer in greater detail and seek clarification on certain points. We will then be in a position to ballot members on the proposal," the spokesperson added.

Members of the INMO and SIPTU employed at Caredoc staged a day of industrial action yesterday and withdrew their labour.

The unions had originally planned to stage further 24-hour strikes on 22 and 27 December, a 48-hour strike from 29 December, and a 24-hour strike on 2 January.

The dispute is primarily centred on the workers at Caredoc - triage nurses, receptionists and drivers - receiving an 8% increase in pay that they say was part of a Workplace Relations Commission agreement made in 2023 but never implemented.