Nurses' stoppages to impact 12 hospitals
A dozen more hospitals will be affected in the next series of stoppages by nurses in their dispute regarding pay and working hours.
The stoppages will happen on Tuesday and Wednesday between 11am and 12 noon.
Six hospitals and mental health units will be hit on Tuesday - Sligo General Hospital and the Sligo-Leitrim mental health services; Louth County Hospital, Dundalk and Louth mental health services; and Bantry General Hospital and the West Cork mental health services.
Six more will be affected the following day - St James's Hospital in Dublin, including the acute psychiatric unit at St Patrick's Hospital; Portlaoise General Hospital and Laois/Offaly mental health services and Ennis General Hospital and Clare mental health services.
David Hughes of the Irish Nurses Organisation has said that plans are being made to ensure minimal disruption to patients.
"These short work stoppages, which will again see nurses and midwives provide all essential and emergency care including no diminution with regard to critical care areas, marks a further escalation in the campaign as the number of hospitals, involved each day, has been increased," he said.
"The INO/PNA again re-state their position that they are available for meaningful negotiation, capable of resolving this dispute, but in the absence of such negotiations these short work stoppages will continue and escalate still further in due course."
But neither Siptu, which boasts more than 30,000 workers including porters, ambulance crews, catering staff and healthcare assistants, nor the Local Authority and Health Services Craft Group of Unions, which covers 4,500 workers, such as electricians, plumbers and maintenance staff, has threatened industrial action.
"Consistent with all Labour Court recommendations on this issue since 1980, Siptu submitted claims to have the working hours of all its members in the health service reduced from the current standard of 39," said a union spokeswoman.
"This claim was renewed last August. The only recent development is that Siptu has sought a meeting with the health service employers to discuss and progress the claim."
Nurses and midwives will also continue to work to rule, refusing to carry out non-nursing duties including answering telephones, IT and admin duties, attending meetings and opening and closing community facilities.
The INO and PNA are seeking a 35-hour working week for their members and a 10.5% pay increase, outside of the Government’s benchmarking process.
