Nurses To Announce Further Work Stoppages

The two nursing unions involved in a dispute with the Government over pay and conditions are due to announce plans for further work stoppages later today.

The Irish Nurses Organisation and the Psychiatric Nurses Association are expected to announce one-hour stoppages for next Wednesday and Friday at up to 50 hospitals and mental health facilities.

An announcement on what nurses plans to do in the third phase of their dispute, is to be made at the PNA annual conference at Ballybofey in County Donegal. It is expected that all acute hospitals that have not already been affected by the stoppages will be included in the planned industrial action.

At the PNA’s conference yesterday, the Minister for Health, Mary Harney, appealed to nursing unions not to escalate their action, saying their dispute over pay and conditions would not be resolved as a result of such action. She told the nurses they should place their faith in benchmarking.