Nurses To Announce Escalation Of National Pay Campaign

Nurses are set to unveil plans for a major escalation in industrial action as part of their campaign for improved pay and conditions. Around 40,000 nurses across the country are expected to boycott clerical, administrative, telephone and IT work from Monday of next week.

The Irish Nurses Organisation and the Psychiatric Nurses Association are also expected to announce that rolling work stoppages could be held at any stage after that date.

Details of the plans are expected to be announced at lunchtime protests being held by nurses in Limerick and Galway today as part of their long-running pay campaign.

The INO and PNA are seeking a 10% pay rise and a reduction in their members’ weekly working hours from 39 to 35.

The HSE and Health Minister Mary Harney have both flatly rejected the claim, while the Labour Court has refused to rule on the matter, saying it should be dealt with through the benchmarking and social partnership processes.