Dentists to sit out strike action

Irish Dental Association members will be working as normal during the forthcoming day of industrial action, scheduled for Tuesday 24 November 2009.

For other organisations whose members will be fully participating in the industrial action on the proposed date, the level of service expected will, at most, be on a par with that on Christmas Day.

Speaking in advance of the action, IMPACT general secretary Peter McLoone said: ‘We are facing the massive disruption of services across health, education, the civil service and local authorities. Yet the Government side is showing no visible desire to see if the strike can be avoided through negotiations. This casual approach is leading unions to conclude that the Government prefers disruption to a negotiated solution. More conflict seems inevitable if the Government can’t get its act together’.

Public Service Committee Vice Chairperson Sheila Nunan said public servants had already saved the taxpayer €1,300,000,000 in 2009 through the ‘pension levy’, a ban on recruitment, and a pay freeze. Next year, these measures will contribute another €2,400,000,000 before any new savings.

She said: ‘We believe it’s possible to agree a fair and workable alternative to pay cuts, which delivers the savings the Government is seeking. Public servants are citizens too and we are ready to work harder and smarter to protect services as budgets fall.’

The Public Service Committee is meeting again today (Thursday 19th November).

Advice for public dental surgeons in relation to the strike is available to IDA members in the PDS group section at www.dentist.ie.