Jobs Freeze for Health workers

The recruitment embargo in the health services prompted almost 300 Galway health workers to brave the rain and hold a protest outside the county’s two largest hospitals at Wednesday lunchtime.And the Galway branch of trade union Impact has warned that the dispute could escalate unless theHealth Service Executive stops undermining the ability of health workers to meet the needs of patients and engages in “constructive negotiations”.Up to 130 Impact trade members from Loughrea, Tuam, Portumna, Mountbellew and Ballinasloe staged a protest outside Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe against cutbacks in servicesand staff.In the city up to 150 health workers protested outside University Hospital Galway and called on theHSE to reverse its recruitment freeze which they say is seriously hurting patient care.The protests were organised by trade union Impactw which represents 28,000 workers in Ireland at 60 non-nursing grades including social workers, speech and language therapists, dieticians, physiotherapists and clerical staff.“Positions are not being filled for workers on maternity and sick leave and this is resulting in increases in waiting lists and the number of patients who are unable to access services has alsogone up. The recruitment embargo is also affecting the home help service and the elderly and vulnerable in particular are...