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More than 37,000 nurses belonging to the Irish Organization of Nurses and Midwives resumed their strike action this morning in connection with a dispute over salaries and staff shortages.
This is the third day on the picket line without any sign of a breakthrough in the escalation of the conflict.
Again, all outpatient appointments, inpatient and overnight surgeries are canceled, as are routine community nursing services and nursing clinics in nursing homes. health.
Like Tuesday, the strike will affect the units of respite and rehabilitation for the elderly or with intellectual disabilities.
Three more consecutive strike days are scheduled for next week.
More than 700 nurses are on the picket line at the University Hospital of Waterford, forcing the cancellation of 657 outpatient appointments and all elective surgical procedures at the 433-bed hospital .
The emergency department continues to operate at the hospital, as well as emergency orthopedic and anticancer surgery.
Mental health services are also in conflict – after the Association of Psychiatric Nurses stepped up its ban on working overtime until the end of the night.
According to the NAP, this highlights the unsustainable dependence on overtime and agency staff – and reinforces the argument for a wage movement to address the recruitment and retention crisis. in nursing post.
700 nurses and more on the picket line at the University Hospital #Waterford today at day 3 of the #nursesstrike. The nurses say that a solution will have to be found and that their resolution will not be weakened. @rtenews pic.twitter.com/YTGfzzlaJ8
– Paschal Sheehy (@PaschalSheehy) February 7, 2019
Next week, three consecutive 24-hour strikes are planned, involving the PNA and INMO. Management and the unions agreed that the health services would be under intolerable pressure.
It is hoped that by then the two parties may be relaxed enough to start talks, but this is not guaranteed.
The Health Services Officer says that he has made a constant commitment to the NAP and is working closely with the NAP to try to resolve the issues that have arisen.
He says the work is still going on.
He added that he remained concerned about the staff and that the liaison with the ANP was continuing.
Nurses and midwives on Dublin St Coombe Hospital picket line pic.twitter.com/fgltFiQ9xK
– Ingrid Miley (@ingridmileyRTE) February 7, 2019
The Coombe stake … pic.twitter.com/ijkP4lV193
– Ingrid Miley (@ingridmileyRTE) February 7, 2019
Yesterday evening, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told representatives of Fine Gael TD and senators in Dublin that efforts will be made over the next few days to find a mechanism to resolve the nurses' strike.
He said however at a parliamentary party meeting that a resolution could not expose taxpayers nor be unfair to other officials.
Mr. Varadkar stated that the dispute was much engaged and that it would continue.
Read more:
Nurses' strike "dramatically disrupts" services – HSE
Varadkar admits that it is "discourteous" not to have direct contact with nurses
At the same time, Communications Minister Richard Bruton said the issue of nurse compensation will only be discussed as part of a collectively negotiated agreement.
Speaking at RTÉ's Morning Ireland show, Mr Bruton said: "I think we are ready to talk about compensation in the context of a collectively negotiated agreement and that these agreements are binding everybody".
He added, "I will not start negotiating on the airways, we have to go to a room and discuss the problems.
He said the government was absolutely convinced of the need for a commitment where both parties could speak.
The labor court has the necessary experience to help both parties come together to solve the problem, he said.
He added that Health Minister Simon Harris and Minister of Finance Paschal Donohoe were working to move the issue forward "creatively".
When asked if the salary would be discussed during negotiations, the minister initially refused to say, saying, "I think it will include a wider range of things." ".
He stated that the only prerequisite stated by Taoiseach was that he wanted the solution to be fair, affordable for the taxpayer and not for the repercussions on 400,000 other officials.
"We are trying to repair the damage in a balanced way," he said.
"Yes, it is essential to restore wages and see improvements, but we must also be able to invest and all other services that require investment," he added.
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