A mother who has often had to call the ambulance service to get help for her young has said she supports the strikes because the staff deserve “more respect”. 

National Ambulance Service workers are striking amid a bitter dispute with the HSE over their pay. 

The 24 hour strike began today at 8am and will finish tomorrow at the same time. 

On Lunchtime Live, listener Catherine said she supports the strike “on principle” and described herself as a strong supporter of ambulance staff. 

“I've had reason to call them for my daughter when she was between the age of two and four so many times the crews actually began to recognise us,” she said. 

“So, I have utmost respect for them.

“This has been brewing since 2020; I don't know any private sector establishments where people would put up with this.” 

Catherine added that the staff are “amazing”, whatever hour she calls them at. 

“Whatever hour of the night and day to come, they're amazing,” she said. 

“When you're in a moment of crisis, they calm you down. 

“I cannot say enough about them and I think this is only done out of desperation because they've been pushed to the brink.

“I think they should be given more respect.”

In a statement to Newstalk, the Department of Health described the strike as "regrettable".

"The State accepts that National Ambulance Service pay structures need to be modernised," a spokesperson said.

"Previous engagement at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) concluded with the State offering pay increases of 3-14%, on top of the 9.25% increase under the current Public Service Agreement.

"These increases were linked to essential service reforms designed to improve patient care, response times and how services are delivered, by supporting better deployment and training and professional development of staff.

"The only way to resolve this issue is through dialogue, and we strongly urge the unions to re‑engage with management in the Health Service Executive (HSE)."

Main image: An ambulance. Picture by: RollingNews.ie.