Industrial action involving psychiatric nurses across Roscommon and Galway is due to begin next Tuesday following an overwhelming ballot in favour of action.
The Psychiatric Nurses Association has served formal notice on HSE West and North West that industrial action will commence on Tuesday, September 29.
The action covers the Galway/Roscommon Mental Health Service, including Roscommon, Ballinasloe, West Galway and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
The move follows a ballot of PNA members which returned a 98.4 per cent vote in favour of industrial action.
The union says the dispute centres on a range of unresolved operational and staffing matters and what it describes as a failure by local nursing and senior HR management to engage meaningfully with it.
PNA Regional Representative Damien Conlon said the ballot represented a strong mandate from members across the services involved.
The precise form and scope of the planned action is being finalised by PNA branches, with detailed instructions due to be communicated to HSE management.
The union has stressed that it remains open to engagement with the HSE in an effort to resolve the dispute before the action begins.
The PNA has warned of the potential for disruption to regional mental health services if the dispute is not resolved.
Further clarity is expected ahead of September 29 on which services will be affected and what contingency arrangements will be put in place for patients.
