The health board says it cannot pay compensation for the introduction of an improved and modernised Ambulance Service in Wexford Town, where drivers are refusing to implement 24-hour rostering.

Emergency Medical Technicians in the town are each demanding between €15,000 and €20,000 to allow the introduction of 24-hour rostering, which will mean the abolition of the long-standing 'on-call' system under which they are paid double time rates for callouts from their homes between 12 midnight and 8 a.m.

The new Health Service Executive South Eastern area said on Tuesday that the issue of compensation had been referred to the Labour Relations Commission, and had not been on the agenda during talks with the unions in Kilkenny last week.

'In the past Ambulance Staff have taken industrial action to secure the elimination of on-call. This industrial action did not take place in Wexford Town Ambulance Station however following the intervention of The Labour Relations Commission and The Health and Safety Authority the HSE South East were advised to eliminate on call and introduce 24hr rosters,' the HSE said in a statement.

'Funding was secured from the Department of Health and Children on the basis of these recommendations. An additional 23 Emergency Medical Technicans were recruited and trained for the elimination of the on-call throughout the region.

'The HSE South Eastern Area has introduced 24-hour on-duty services in Waterford, Tipperary, Clonmel, Cashel, Enniscorthy, Gorey and New Ross,' it said.

The HSE said programmes for Prosperity and Fairness, Sustaining Progress and benchmarking have resulted in a culmative pay award of over 47%.

'The pay increases were awarded in return for staff commitment to modernisation and flexibility. Given that the pay awards were in return for fundamental change the HSE/SE cannot agree additional demands for loss of income.

'The HSE South Eastern Area is disappointed that the service is not being introduced to Wexford and will continue to seek to implement the more efficient 24-hour on-duty service,' it said.