Labour Court recommends further talks on Loughglynn ambulance resources

The Labour Court recommended further talks between the HSE - National Ambulance Service (Nas) and the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union over deployment of resources to Loughglynn Ambulance Base, Co Roscommon. The recommendation, signed on 17 August 2016, followed a hearing the previous day. The union said management had not honoured an agreement and had failed to provide monthly deployment information. The employer argued that central control needed to manage crews across the service to protect patient care and safety. The Court noted management acknowledged it had missed information-sharing commitments, though it said substantial information had been supplied shortly before the hearing and undertook to meet its obligations. The Court recommended completing discussions under the WRC agreement and considering recent agreements with the unions. If agreement was not reached within three months, the matter should return to the Court for a definitive recommendation.