UNISON members have been taking continuous industrial action impacting the dispatch and response to lower acuity emergency calls in the last hour of every operational shift from Friday 20th October 2023. This action ensured that Unison members were only dispatched to appropriately triaged calls that meet the definition of “life and limb” cover.
Life Preserving Services Definition (Life and Limb cover):
· Emergency intervention for the preservation of life or for the prevention of permanent disability;
· Care required for therapeutic services without which life would be jeopardised or permanent disability would occur;
· Urgent diagnostic procedures and assessments required to obtain information on potentially life-threatening conditions or conditions that could potentially lead to permanent disability
Unison members will only be dispatched to Category 1 calls and upgraded calls that meet the definition of “Life and limb” cover in the last hour of every shift.
All other agreed end-of-shift protocols that support staff and restrict the allocation of lower acuity calls in the last two hours of a shift will continue to apply.
This is continuous industrial action that members should observe unless informed otherwise in a further UNISON communique.
ASOS Update – 1st November 2023
The NIAS Trust was served with legal notice on 13th October 2023 that UNISON members would continue action short of strike action (ASOS) from 00:01 on 1st November 2023 to 23:59 on Thursday 30th November 2023. This notice was then amended on 30th October 2023 and the NIAS Trust was served with a further legal notice covering the period from 00:01 on Monday 6th November to 23:59 on Thursday 30th November 2023.
Action short of strike (ASOS): 1st – 5th November 2023
- Refusing to have breaks interrupted
- Working strictly to health and safety protocols
- Withdrawal from all union /management /department engagement except where failure to engage would incur a detrimental impact on a member or members.
- Strick adherence to start times
- Not starting or booking on early to answer calls, complete vehicle checks / VDIs, etc. These should be commenced at the shift start time.
- Relief staff will start and finish at their base station. They will not use their personal transport / private cars for transport to other locations.
Action short of strike (ASOS): 6th – 30th November 2023
- Working strictly to individual terms and conditions of employment.
- Working strictly to health and safety protocols.
- Withdrawal from all union /management /department engagement except where failure to engage would incur a detrimental impact on a member or members.
- Not managing any additional work or processes that result from the ongoing industrial action including logistics at the start and end of designated shifts.
- Not doing any other work that is outside of an employee’s job description and is the clear responsibility of another job role.
- Strict adherence to start times and finish times. (specific and limited derogations apply to finish times for operational crews)
- Refusing to have breaks interrupted.
- Not starting early to accept or provide handovers prior to the start of a designated shift.
- Not starting or booking on early to answer calls, complete vehicle checks / VDIs, etc. These should be commenced at the shift start time.
- Relief staff will start and finish at their base station. They will not use their personal transport / private cars for transport to other locations.
- EAC will only dispatch calls to operational crews in line with the current industrial action impacting the last hour of every operational shift.
Local UNISON Shop Stewards and H&S Reps should be contacted if further information is required. NIAS has been given due notice of this action short of a strike, as per legislative requirements. RMC / line managers will be contacting Relief Staff to ascertain if they will be taking industrial action.
End of communique
