Longford members having 'no input' as union disruption hits Regional Health Forum

Union action has resulted in Longford County Council members on the Regional Health Forum, Dublin Mid Leinster having “no input” into the provision of services, one local elected representative said.

Members of trade union Forsa forced the cancellation of the HSE Regional Health Forum, Dublin Mid Leinster due to their ongoing industrial dispute over the moratorium on recruitment.

The disruption of the HSE Forum meeting meant that no responses were supplied to written questions asked by county councillors.

The Longford County Council representatives on the forum are Cllr Paraic Brady, Cllr PJ Reilly and Cllr Paul Ross.

“The three representatives from Longford County Council have no input. The committee has been dissolved,” Cllr Peggy Nolan (pictured) said of the situation, “we have no input whatsoever in Longford with regard to the provision of services.”

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Fórsa trade union, which represents 30,000 health workers in the HSE and in ‘Section 38’ funded health bodies, said it had “no choice but to lift its suspension of industrial action in response to the HSE’s renewed imposition of a moratorium on recruitment, despite ongoing talks on a framework agreement”.

Last October the HSE announced its actions in response to a memorandum on the filling of new, and replacement, management and administration posts. Fórsa described as “unacceptable” the targeting of management and administration grades in the renewed moratorium.

In a query on the reason for the disruption the HSE said the Forum has not been dissolved, but acknowledged the union disruption: “The FORSA Trade Union Industrial Relations (IR) Dispute is the reason that the Regional Health Forum has not progressed and no questions have been responded to.”

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