Irish Nurses Support Vote For Industrial Action

The Irish Nurses Organisation and Psychiatric Nurses Association held a nationwide ballot last week in which their members overwhelmingly voted to support the unions' calls for industrial action

The unions, which are seeking the introduction of a 35-hour working week for nurses and midwives, and progress on other pay related claims, will begin their action at the end of the month at which time they threaten to enforce a nationwide work-to-rule and short-duration rolling work stoppages.

They will also be holding lunch-hour protests at hospitals in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Dublin, though they insist that the protests will not affect patient services.

The vote followed the unanimous adoption, by the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children, the previous day, of a motion calling upon the Government to immediately begin discussions with the two unions on their claims and "to take all reasonable steps towards ensuring equitable conditions apply in the health service."

According to a statement released by the unions, the "campaign is constructed in such a manner as to minimise disruption to patient services while maximising the disruption to health service management who have failed completely to recognise and address these legitimate claims."

After the vote the General Secretary of the Irish Nurses Organisation, Liam Doran said that, "The mandate that our members have given represents a tremendous endorsement of, and solidarity with, this campaign. 

"It also represents a public manifestation of the deep anger and frustration felt by nurses and midwives at their treatment at the hands of health service management who continue to look after themselves.

"Our 40,000 plus members have spoken and it is time the government and health service employers listened."

Psychiatric Nurses Association General Secretary Des Kavanagh added, "This ballot result confirms the determination of our combined membership to make progress on these issues which have been outstanding for years.  We remain available for, and look forward to, constructive discussions with government and health service employers.

"However, if these do not begin then the clock has started ticking and we will not hesitate to commence this campaign and continue it until we achieve justice and equity for our members."