Strike action well supported in Galway

Crowds gather at UHG and other locations

HSE staff working at University Hospital Galway (UHG) are concerned that one day of industrial action will not be enough.

More than 300,000 public sector workers such as nurses, doctors, teachers, alongside council and court staff took part in yesterday’s nationwide strike, the largest the country has seen since 2009. It comes after months of disputes over the agreement of a new public sector pay deal.

Large crowds gathered outside the main entrance to UHG, where the beeping horns of supportive motorists could be heard well before the hospital even came into view.

While the spirits were high amongst those striking, some of those who spoke to The Tuam Herald were concerned that one day of industrial action will not be enough to change the minds of Government ministers.

“We are delighted to see so much support out here today for us, but I would be worried nothing will change,” warned Kiara Healy, a nurse from Athenry, who works in the Acute Medical Unit at UHG.

“We don’t want to strike, that’s the feeling of all nurses. We want to be back in the hospital helping patients, but we will be out again striking if that’s what it takes to get changes.

“For us, this is not just about pay, there are concerns about staffing too. Hiring agency staff means new nurses can’t get roles. this is despite training in Ireland for years and working at hospitals during our training. This and the pay needs addressing, or else we will need to act again.”

Hospital staff could be seen standing in unison right along the Newcastle Road, where the entrance to the Emergency Department and Maternity units are located. With traffics lights at this busy junction, car horns were a regular occurrence.

Nurses, doctors, laboratory staff as well porters and kitchen staff stood hand in hand, holding the placards of their specific unions and chanting together. Trevor Sherlock, who works in central appointments at UHG, was blown away by the public support.

“I’ve been hugely impressed by public support. You can’t go 30 seconds without hearing a horn beeping. I think this just shows how much people are against the current government,” he explained.

Down the road from UHG is University of Galway, where each entrance to the campus was blocked by college staff taking part in the day’s strike.

On the behest of the Student Union President Sean De Búrca, all lectures on Wednesday were cancelled and campus building closed to make sure students had no reason to pass the picket line. Those partaking in the strike were shown plenty of support from passing drivers.

While wishing to stay anonymous, those who spoke to The Tuam Herald yesterday morning were also concerned that they could be back standing in the same position next week. However, until a new public sector pay deal is secured, they were happy to strike.

Walking around the city, it was hard to avoid the industrial action. A crowd of over 60 Galway County Council workers walked a never-ending loop together outside the entrance to County Hall, while the sound of a bell from one worker drove attention to her colleagues picketing outside Galway Courthouse.

Numbers were high on the east of the city too, as crowds of HSE workers at Merlin Park Hospital walked up and down the Dublin Road, from Galway Crystal to the site of the old Corrib Great Southern Hotel. Many others camped outside the entrance to the hospital’s grounds.

ATU Galway was subject to similar support, motorists beeping their horns to show their support to those based at the entrances to the college and those marching inside the campus itself.