Fórsa members to take part in lunchtime protest today at Mayo University Hospital

Members of Fórsa trade union, working at Mayo University Hospital (MUH), will take part in a lunchtime protest today (Thursday) between 1pm and 1.45pm at the hospital.
The protest is one of a series of lunchtime protests by members of Fórsa and other unions, organised in response to the HSE's suppression of thousands of frontline health posts, affecting community and acute health services, mental health and services to older people. Today's protest in Mayo follows protests in Dublin, Cork, Kilkenny, Offaly, Cavan, Sligo and Kildare while more protests are to take place in the coming weeks.
Fórsa members at MUH and other HSE employments have been balloting for industrial action since Monday (October 14). The union has said current pressures on services are set to get worse as demand rises in the winter months, while existing staff are forced to cope with an insufficient complement of staff in most departments.
Ashley Connolly, an official with Fórsa’s Health & Welfare division, said continuing employment restrictions is putting patient services under enormous strain: “Against the backdrop of increased services and higher demands from an ageing population with more complex needs, the HSE remains under-resourced.
“The HSE has entered a process of chaotic downsizing and arbitrary decisions to leave critical frontline positions unfilled, which severely compromises the ability of Fórsa members' to safely deliver health services,” she said.