Tomorrow’s 24-hour strike will see teachers, civil servants, and medical personnel join the picket lines to protest delays in a new public sector pay deal.
The impact will be felt right across the public sector in West Cork. Bantry General Hospital, Clonakilty Community Hospital and Cork University Hospital will participate in the industrial action tomorrow, which the HSE has warned will cause “significant and widespread disruption” to many of its services.
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Thousands of non-urgent healthcare services across the county will be cancelled, including routine hospital procedures, outpatient appointments, community-based services such as day services, clinics in primary care services and other scheduled care services.
The HSE said: “Emergency departments, ambulance services (curtailed service) and other critical, time-sensitive healthcare services, such as urgent cancer treatment and dialysis, will continue. People requiring urgent medical attention should not delay seeking care and dial 999 or 112 or attend their nearest Emergency Department.”
GPs, GP out-of-hours and pharmacists remain available in the community however dentists employed by the HSE have joined the strike for the first time in the history of the Irish Dental Association.
Most schools, colleges and universities will engage in industrial action as the main teaching unions including INTO, ASTI, TUI and IFUT are taking part. Parents and students should have already received confirmation from schools advising of the closures. Picket lines are expected in schools across the county.
Local authorities will see major disruptions to their services with civil servants across government departments and state bodies also on strike. Many local libraries are expected to close due to tomorrows industrial action.
All heritage sites and parks operated by the Office of Public Works (OPW) in the county are set to close on Wednesday also.
Garda services will not be affected despite being public sector workers, and therefore covered by public sector pay agreements, because they are legally prohibited from engaging in industrial action. Meanwhile public transport is expected to operate as normal.
