Labour Court finds HSE breached consultation agreement over break-even initiative

In 2008, the Labour Court found that the Health Service Executive breached its information and consultation agreement with the Health Service Staff Panel over its Financial Break Even Plan. The Court recommended that the HSE assure the unions that it would provide full and adequate consultation if a similar initiative arose in future. The recommendation was dated 15 February 2008. The unions said the HSE had failed to consult them about a recruitment freeze and other cutbacks. The HSE accepted that it had not consulted them about the initiative before it was finalised and implemented, but argued that a temporary recruitment pause was not a significant issue under the agreement. The Court concluded that the agreement required consultation on the employment-related effects of the initiative.