Impact staff at Nenagh General Hospital have begun industrial action today in protest at the salary paid to the chief operations manager at the UL Group of Hospitals.
Staff at the five hospitals in the group are refusing to report to or co-operate with the manager from this week.
This dispute centres around the €250,000 salary that's currently being paid to the Chief Operations Manager at the UL Group of hospitals.
The work-to-rule is taking place at Nenagh General Hospital, Ennis General, University Hospital Limerick, Limerick Maternity Hospital and Croom Orthopaedic Hospital from this week.
The action was supported in a ballot by 90% of the IMPACT members – the union says it will not affect service delivery but warned that it could escalate if staff are penalised for refusing to work with the manager.
IMPACT Assistant General Secretary Andy Pike says the action is designed to highlight the opposition of hospital staff to what it says are the excessive and unwarranted salary payments being made through a management consultancy.
Mr Pike said the union would be writing again to the Public Accounts Committee, which is investigating the engagement of the manager through Starline, a private sector management company.
