Ambulance staff in Donegal postpone threatened industrial action

A feared stoppage by ambulance staff that would have left Donegal with just two ambulances operating on Monday morning for a four hour period has been postponed.

Yesterday it was feared that ambulance staff in Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim and West Cavan would  take part in industrial action that would see ambulance cover in the north west drastically reduced for a four-hour period on Monday.

Talks took place yesterday afternoon  in an attempt to head off the action by HSE ambulance staff in Donegal next week and it emerged on Thursday evening that the threatened industrial action would be postponed to allow for ambulance management and SIPTU to engage in negoations under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) .

Had the industrial action gone ahead, Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal and west Cavan, which is normally served by 17 ambulances, would have been reduced to four for a four hour period, two of those ambulances to be based in Donegal.