asked the Minister for Health the steps he has taken to attempt to bring to a speedy resolution the current dispute at Our Lady's Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin 12.
Written Answers. - Dublin Hospital Dispute.
39.
The dispute at Our Lady's Hospital, Crumlin arose because of the refusal by certain members of the staff to prepare and deliver trollies of tea/coffee and light refreshments to occasional management/research meetings.
Management decided that the household staff in the kitchem of the hospital, who are already involved as part of their normal work in preparing other trollies with food, should carry out these duties.
The household staff, members of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union, after initially accepting the hospital management's decision subsequently refused to carry out the duties. Following a number of meetings and the conciliation conference the matter was not resolved and strike action commenced 1 March 1989. The Labour Court invited the parties to the dispute to attend a further conciliation conference on Saturday, 4 March 1989 and as no progress was made at these talks the Labour Court held a full court hearing on Sunday, 5 March 1989.
The Labour Court recommended inter alia that the union should accept that the preparation and delivery of trollies to management meetings should be accepted as part of the duties of the kitchen household staff. The court further recommended that a working party composed of representatives of the management, Department of Health, ICTU and the trade union in the hospital should be established with an independent chairman to draw up proposals for the improvement of industrial relations generally in the hospital. The Labour Court recommendation was accepted by management and was recommended by the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union to their members concerned for acceptance.
Unfortunately, they rejected the recommendation and have continued their strike action.
With the co-operation of all other hospital staff on duty, management at the hospital have endeavoured to maintain services as normal. Initially, when the dispute arose, some elective admissions were deferred. However, elective admissions in most specialties are now being accepted and admissions to the specialty programmes have not been interrupted.
While the services of the hospital are not to any great extent being adversely affected by this dispute my Department is, nonetheless, monitoring the situation.