Up to 30,000 medical procedures and appointments are being cancelled nationwide today and tomorrow due to strike action by medical scientists.
2100 medical scientists are going on strike as they step up their campaign over long-standing pay and career development issues.
They’re refusing to carry out routine lab services from 8 am to 8 pm today and tomorrow.
Terry Casey, general secretary of the MLSA, said “they are taking action in frustration over a chronic recruitment and retention crisis in the sector arising out of poor pay.”
Announcing the onslaught earlier this month, MLSA chairperson Kevin O’Boyle said “scientists privation the issues surrounding wage and vocation improvement addressed by the HSE, Department of Health and Department of Public Expenditure.”
“We regret the difficulties [industrial action] volition origin to an already over-burdened wellness work and to patients awaiting treatment, but determination is immense vexation and burn-out among our members due to the fact that the terrible recruitment and retention problems successful the assemblage person been ignored for years,” Mr. O’Boyle said.