The creation of six new health regions has led to recent changes in HSE health service industrial relations bodies, the Medical Independent (MI) has been informed.
A HSE spokesperson told MI that reviews of the national joint council (NJC) and the joint information and consultation forum (JICF) have taken place. Following these reviews, it was decided to include representatives from the new HSE health regions on both bodies.
Both the NJC and JICF will continue to exist and meet despite the establishment of joint union and management forums (JUMFs) in each of the regions.
The NJC is the primary forum for managing industrial relations in the health service.
Its membership includes representatives from all Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) trade unions, while management representation includes nominees from the HSE, the Department of Health, and voluntary hospitals.
According to the HSE, it plays a central role in promoting “the most effective conduct of relations between staff, their trade unions, and employers”.
The JICF provides a platform for engagement and consultation on health sector policy and strategy. Its membership is similar to the NJC, but with the addition of non-ICTU representation, including the IHCA.
The HSE spokesperson said the new JUMFs, established across the six regions, will be “the recognised engagement forum” at the regional level between union representatives and the regional executive management teams.
Their main purpose is to provide a space for constructive dialogue, enhance workplace relations, and address issues affecting employees within each health region.
“The engagement at the regional level will help inform and be informed by engagement at both the NJC and the JICF.”
The spokesperson added that the Executive has no concerns about possible duplication of work or added complexity between the regional forums and the NJC or JICF.
“The JUMFs have been implemented to reflect the HSE regional structure and to enable focus on matters that relate to service delivery within geographical regions,” the spokesperson said.
“The NJC and JICF will continue with their primary function on broader national-level issues, ensuring uniformity of approach in the implementation of national policy.”
According to the recently published HSE People Strategy 2025-2027, the NJC and JICF will now be “enhanced by joint union and management forums” in each of the regions.
“The HSE will continue to work with the health sector unions in advancing the priorities of the health sector and implementing the public sector agreement 2024-2026 and its successor agreement.”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.