The HSE has accused the Fórsa trade union of undermining strategies to tackle the Covid-19 virus and potentially putting patients at risk by refusing to cooperate with certain technology in a row over staffing.
The dispute centres on union concerns about the HSE's use of agency personnel and contractors in the HSE Office of the Chief Information Officer (OoCIO) to deliver ICT services, rather than using direct staff employees already on recruitment panels.
While Fórsa members had voted for industrial action, they agreed to defer it on the basis of a HSE commitment not to introduce any new initiatives without consultation ahead of talks at the Workplace Relations Commission.