Ambulance services are expected to face major disruption due to industrial action taking place this week, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has warned.
The organisation said members of the public should continue to contact emergency services if urgent medical attention is required, reports Breaking News.
Members of the Siptu and Unite unions are set to begin work-to-rule action on Monday followed by a 24-hour strike on Tuesday.
In a statement, the HSE said: “During the rolling industrial actions, the capacity of the National Ambulance Service (NAS) to respond will be significantly impacted”, reports Breaking News.
Under contingency arrangements, the 999 emergency call service will remain fully operational, with priority given to patients suffering emergencies such as heart attacks or serious injuries caused by road traffic collisions.
The HSE said delays are expected when responding to non-life-threatening incidents, reports Breaking News.
Last month, ambulance workers represented by both unions voted in favour of taking industrial action.
The action will involve emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics, advanced paramedics, paramedic specialists and paramedic supervisors, reports Breaking News.
Union representatives said the dispute stems from a failure to implement recommendations made in a 2020 report examining changes to ambulance workers’ roles.
The unions said the qualifications, clinical duties and operational responsibilities of ambulance personnel have expanded significantly over the past 20 years, reports Breaking News.
Unite said the Roles and Responsibilities Review “recommended enhanced pay scales to reflect the growing professionalisation of the service” but “those recommendations have not been implemented”.
The union’s general secretary Sharon Graham said: “It is scandalous that these frontline workers have been waiting for six years for their skills and expertise to be recognised”, reports Breaking News.
Siptu ambulance sector organiser John McCamley said: “Members have been left with no option but to issue a strike notice due to this long-running dispute.”
He added that the industrial action is “an indication of the depth of feeling within the service that their sacrifice and commitment over the last 20 years to the professionalisation and modernisation of the service have been forgotten about by the HSE”, reports Breaking News.
The HSE said it “regrets” the decision by unions to proceed with industrial action and stated it has engaged “intensively” with both unions through the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).
It said proposals designed to resolve the dispute had been recommended to members by both unions, reports Breaking News.
According to the HSE, the proposals included pay increases ranging from 3 to 14 per cent, in addition to a 9.25 per cent rise provided under the 2024-2026 Public Sector Pay Agreement.
The service said it was informed in September 2025 by both unions that members had rejected the proposals, reports Breaking News.
The HSE also stated that the NAS underwent “a major transformation and investment programme” between 2022 and 2025.
It said that while both the HSE and Government recognise “the need to both increase and modernise pay arrangements” for ambulance staff, they are “also obliged to ensure that in exchange for significant increases in pay, our services can continue to transform to meet the needs of the public”, reports Breaking News.
The unions have planned additional strike action if the dispute remains unresolved.
Siptu said a 48-hour strike is scheduled for May 19th, followed by a 72-hour stoppage on May 26th and further industrial action in June, reports Breaking News.
The HSE said all other health services are expected to operate as normal during the industrial action and patients will be informed if there are any changes to scheduled care, reports Breaking News.
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