Overview
- The National Ambulance Service strike, which began Tuesday at 8am, will run for 24 hours and follows a work-to-rule on Monday.
- The HSE says 999 and 112 remain fully operational, with crews prioritising cardiac arrests and serious trauma, and it warns of long waits for non-urgent calls.
- Clinical director Cathal O’Donnell urged people to consider injury units, GPs and pharmacies for non-emergencies and said some patients may reach hospital faster by making their own way.
- Union leaders say the dispute stems from the Roles and Responsibilities Review that recommended new pay scales, and they note a separate 5% benchmarking uplift has not been delivered.
- The stoppage comes after members rejected WRC-brokered pay offers of 3%–14% last year, and unions have set 48-hour and 72-hour strikes for May 19 and May 26 with further action planned in June.