DUBLIN, Ireland: Ambulance workers have agreed to accept new pay proposals following strike action earlier this year.

In May, frontline ambulance staff who are members of the Siptu and Unite unions stopped work as part of a dispute with the HSE-run National Ambulance Service over pay and working conditions.

The unions argued that the roles of emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics, advanced paramedics, paramedic specialists and paramedic supervisors have grown significantly in recent years. They said these roles now involve greater qualifications, more clinical responsibility and increased operational duties.

The unions also pointed out that a previously recommended five percent pay increase had not been implemented. They criticized aspects of an earlier pay proposal, particularly issues related to crew numbers and changes to overtime arrangements.

To resolve the dispute, the unions entered direct negotiations with the HSE at the Labor Court.

Following these talks, union members voted on the new proposals, and the results, announced on Friday, showed they had been accepted.

The new deal includes pay increases of up to 23 percent for paramedics and up to 20 percent for emergency medical technicians. Other grades will also receive pay increases, depending on their length of service.

Ambulance sector organizer John McCamley said that there had been an overwhelming decision by Siptu members working in the National Ambulance Service to accept the proposals. He said the result showed that the Labor Court recommendation had clearly addressed the main issues at the center of the dispute.

He added that the proposals would ensure members receive the recognition and respect they deserve by aligning their pay with that of other health professionals.

He also said it was deeply regrettable that union members had to take industrial action to resolve what he described as a long-standing dispute. He said ambulance personnel want to serve the public and carry out their duties. He expressed hope that industrial relations within the National Ambulance Service would now improve so that similar actions would not be needed in the future.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham described the outcome as a major win for members and said it represented a significant shift in pay, although she noted that it had come six years too late. She said it was unacceptable that ambulance workers had to take strike action to bring the National Ambulance Service to the negotiating table.

She added that the result once again showed that when workers organize in unions and are willing to strike, it is an effective way to achieve real pay increases and secure basic respect from employers.