The health minister has been urged to engage with paramedics over what unions say is an ongoing failure of management to implement the 2020 roles and responsibilities review.

The unions say qualifications, clinical responsibilities and operational duties of ambulance personnel have expanded significantly in recent years.

They also say a 5% increase recommended under the benchmarking II process has not been delivered.

The strike involves pickets at ambulance depots which began at 8am, including at Davitt Road in Dublin South Central and in Dundalk.

Unions have agreed contingency plans with the HSE to ensure that patient safety is prioritised during the dispute.

Further work stoppages are scheduled for May 19 and 26, with additional action planned during June if the dispute is not resolved.

Speaking to the Press Association at the picket in Dublin, Siptu ambulance sector organiser John McCamley said union members have “gone through every process that you can imagine” to resolve the dispute but “unfortunately, we feel that we’ve been unheard and we have to take this action”.

He said the strike was because an independent report in 2020 recommended that their members: “Should have enhanced high scales because of the upskilling and changes that have taken place in the national animal service over the last 15 years.

“Unfortunately, the HSE and the Department of Health haven’t implemented this report.” 

Speaking to reporters in Dublin after the strike began, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said: “It is not satisfactory for patients or the people generally that a first-responder service should be mired in industrial action of this kind.” 

He urged unions to re-engage in dialogue, adding: “It is the only way this will get resolved.” 

Donal Joyce, an emergency medical technician in the National Ambulance Service and a Siptu shop steward, called on the Taoiseach, along with the HSE and minister, to intervene.

He said: “At the end of the day, Micheal Martin is the man who actually set up the HSE. This was his brainchild.” Mr Joyce added: “We want him to intervene and to call a halt to this.” 

Unite regional officer Eoin Drummey said the HSE “can resolve this dispute by agreeing to implement the 2020 review immediately and without preconditions”.

On its website, the HSE warned there “will be delays responding to non-life-threatening calls for ambulances” on Tuesday into Wednesday.

“During this time, consider if another healthcare option might be suitable,” it said.

Sinn Fein health spokesman David Cullinane accused the Government of failing to deal with long-running problems in pre-hospital emergency care services.

He called on health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to engage with workers and implement an agreed pay and grading modernisation plan.

He said: “The Minister for Health cannot stand back while ambulance workers are forced into industrial action.

“The minister must intervene directly, engage meaningfully with workers and ensure that ambulance workers get the respect, recognition and safe staffing that they deserve.

“The minister must take workforce planning seriously and implement a real workforce plan to train and retain the paramedics our communities need.” 

Speaking at the picket in Co Louth paramedic Tony Murphy, who is based at Dundalk Hospital for the National Ambulance Service, said workers have not been listened to.

“I’ve been a paramedic for the past 26 years, unfortunately we’re forced out to the gate today for recognition of our grade and recognition of our pay,” he said.

“Unfortunately we haven’t been listened to, we have taken on a lot of new responsibilities and new roles, new drugs.

“We had the promise that we’re going to get pay for those, and remuneration, and the recognition of the role.”

He added: “I love my job, I’ve been doing my job for 26 years, it’s a job where you’re helping people and making a change, dealing with the public in their time of need, and we’re trained to do that, trained to managed medications, trained to treat people when they are at their sickest.

“It’s an excellent career, I’ve loved every minute of it, but unfortunately today this is a low point, being forced to the gate.

“I am a duty crew today, so that means I’ve got my radio on me, and if this radio goes off we will leave the picket line, I will go and do a call.

“That’s been dealt with by the operations resource centre and with the strike committee.” 

Paula Lawless, who is also a shop steward for Siptu, said morale at the Dublin South Central ambulance station was at “100%” and they were “absolutely” in it for the long haul.

“The long haul is the long haul, whatever it takes. Hopefully it won’t come to that, but we’re all prepared for the long haul.” 

As she spoke, dozens of passing vehicles beeped their horns in support of the protest at the Dublin South Central ambulance station.

Striking ambulance workers are “happy to be out, but they’re not happy to be here”, she added.

Ms Lawless said over the past 15 years “our skills have been upgraded and the pay hasn’t”.

She said while the change in the role has made the job harder, it has considerably improved patient care, adding: “The patient always will come first and you’ll give them whatever they need and the best care you can give them at that time.”