The HSE and the Department of Health have been accused of "sheer callousness" over a pay dispute among medical scientists.
Over 2,000 staff are on strike today and tomorrow, with up to 30,000 procedures expected to be cancelled.
The Medical Laboratory Scientists Association says they're paid on average 8 percent less than clinical biochemists - who they say have the same training and do the same work.
Scientists on the picket line outside Cork University Hospital told RedFM News that a recruitment and retention crisis is leading to burnout for some in the profession, and is resulting in others taking up roles in the private sector.
Chair of the union Kevin O'Boyle says the issue has been going on for decades, and they've reached a "crisis point":
"You have a situation where two scientists are working side by side on a bench, they have the same qualifications, they take on the same responsibilities, they do the same work, but one group are paid 8% more than the other.
"If you wanted to breed industrial relations unrest in the workplace this is how you would go about it."
