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WORKERS AT IRELAND’S 999 call centres have voted in favour of strike action.
Members of the Communications Workers’ Union want their employer “Conduit Global” to pay a living wage of €11.50 per hour.
The union added that the threat of disciplinary action against workers for spending too long in the bathroom still stands.
However, Conduit says it has improved working conditions for staff but added that the ‘no toilet breaks policy’ exists in the emergency call answering service.
Commenting this evening following a meeting of 999 call service workers in Navan, Ian McArdle of the CWU said the action is likely to include a 12 hour work stoppage over the next few weeks.
Conduit Global has stated that a robust contingency plan is in place to operate the Emergency Call Answering Service in the event of industrial action.
In a statement, Conduit said no toilet break exists.
“No ‘Toilet Break Policy’ exists in the Emergency Call Answering Service. Operators have a number of breaks throughout their shift.
“These include three 15 minute breaks, a 30 minute break, and a further allowance of 19 minutes per twelve hour shift for Display Screen Equipment (DSE) to enable short frequent breaks to ‘rest one’s eyes’ from the screen.
BT added that the CWU statement was “disappointing”.
““It is very disappointing that a trade union, which is not recognised by BT or Conduit, has decided to take this unnecessary course of action in relation to the vital emergency call answering service.
“We are unaware of the details of the union ballot or the number of union members as we have only learned of this news from the national media.”
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I’m sure the figures are much higher, staff are too busy to fill out incident reports. I know from experience.
That is truly frightening.
I had to attend A&E when my father in law had a heart attack. It was a Friday night at 11,30PM. I saw drunk and drugged males, mainly young, thtrestening and attacking nurses and junior Doctors. I was badly scared.
part of the job in social care main stream and most disability services,its called care in the community close asylums and pay private companies a fortune to mind them by 18 yo colledge grad girls in residential settings,its theequivilant of putting a square peg in a round hole
@Andrew Corrigan: It is too expensive to keep someone who has mental health problems in an institution so ask them to take their medication every day in what they call care in the community
@nick mullen: It doesn’t sound like prescription medication to me, what Michael/Fiona was describing. Scary enough to be waiting with someone seriously ill while you’re healthy and could leave. The staff must be sick of this carry-on.
@Andrew Corrigan: look at Oberstown it is a joke of a place.. Give it back to Prison Officers. Patting on head don’t work
Drunks and Drug addicts on a Saturday night should be fined for causing hassle and assaulting staff and other genuine patients both verbally and physically just because of their own irresponsible behavior.A&E is for sick people .
Some members of the HSE still boxing the head off old people
Even non staff members get hit or puched or in a case i know head butted. There aint enough staff to monitor every patient.
Another number from a government body. Don’t believe them. I know staff are far to busy to be filling in another paper trail. After all some managers think it you job. That is a reality.
Is it anger or frustration? I can understand the hostile attitude but you have to feel for the front line workers. It is not on. It is nobodies fault but the government.
Throw them out of the hospital and that’s it….. unless there’s a physiological reason for behaviour ….. out the door!! People’s sense of entitlement have them acting like morons in some cases but if everybody knew being a moron means no treatment they would pull their horns in sharpish!!!
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