Nurses and midwives will decide in the coming weeks whether to launch an all-out strike over wages and under-staffing.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation today announced plans to ballot its members for industrial action.
If passed, nurses and midwives will walk off the job for 24 hours – although they will continue to provide essential, life-preserving and emergency care.
The INMO said the strike could then escalate to two 24-hour stoppages the week after the first day of action.
The organisation said the low wages on offer in Ireland have made it impossible for the HSE to recruit and retain enough nursing staff to provide safe care to patients.
It warned that there are 2,600 fewer nurses in the health service today than there were in 2007 – with numbers continuing to drop.
It said that HSE figures indicate that for every four nursing vacancies in Ireland, there is only one application.
508 patients were waiting for beds in Irish hospitals this morning, with over 30 patients on trolleys and chairs in *5* hospitals. Worst hit today were UH #Limerick (52 people), #Cork UH (50 people), and MRH #Tullamore (38).
See today's full report here https://t.co/QpFoi5Y62G
— Irish Nurses & Midwives Organisation (@INMO_IRL) November 6, 2018
INMO president Martina Harkin-Kelly said the Government has left nurses with no option but to strike.
“We have been forced down this path because the government have failed to deal with chronic understaffing,” she said.
“Nurses and midwives are the lowest paid professionals in the health service - which is why the HSE is finding it impossible to recruit or retain.
“We cannot wait any longer. Patients deserve a properly staffed health service.”
Safety
Bernadette Stenson, who works in St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin, said the shortages are making Irish hospitals unsafe for patients and for staff.
“You start a shift and you know that you are not going to have enough staff to cope with what you should have,” she said.
“It is very unsafe; the trolleys are packed close together; the patient’s needs are not being met -because physically you can’t get to all the patients that you should get to.
“It is terrible to see patients like that.
“It is very unsafe; it is unsafe for the staff as well as the patients.”
Recruitment and retention
The INMO rejected the Government’s previous proposals on pay by 94% - after the organisation warned that most nurses and midwives would not be affected by the changes.
The organisation said health recruiters have failed to meet with it in the weeks since the rejection – and have called n the Government to come to the table.
“Nurses and midwives do not want a strike; they want a solution,” said INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha.
“The employers have already wasted a fortnight since our last ballot.
“The next two weeks are a cooling off period for the government to engage with us, make serious proposals and avoid industrial action.”
Nurses are to vote on whether they want to engage in all out strike action in a row over pay and staffing. The INMO say they have been forced down this path by the Government.
— Stephanie Rohan (@StephGrogan3) November 6, 2018
