Irish Nurses To Hold Second Work Stoppage

Nurses working for five health service providers around the country will hold a one-hour work stoppage later this morning, as part of their campaign for better pay and shorter working hours.

The stoppage comes as 40,000 nurses and midwives begin their twelfth day of a work-to-rule, in pursuit of the claims.

This morning’s one-hour work stoppage by members of the Irish Nurses Organisation and Psychiatric Nurses Association is the second, as part of their ongoing claim for a 35-hour week and a pay increase.

Following consultations with the unions, the impact on patients at each of the facilities targetted is predicted to be minimal.

Beaumont Hospital in Dublin will operate almost as normal, with six endescopy and 20 outpatient appointments rescheduled to later dates.

Roscommon County Hospital says its patients may experience some delays.

But it hopes there will be no cancellations and it is asking patients to attend at their appointed time.

Arrangements have also been put in place at the 12 centres that are part of Roscommon Mental Health Services to ensure they remain open and patients are cared for.

While at St Ita’s Psychiatric Hospital and St Joseph’s Intellectual Disability Service in Portrane, disruption to clients is expected to be at a minimum during the work stoppage, which gets under way at 11am.

Last night, the General-Secretary of the Congress of Trade Unions, David Begg, indicated that that the outlook for settling the dispute in the short term was bleak.

However, Mr Begg told RTÉ News that he believed progress should be made on the issue of shortening working hours.