Irish nurses work-to-rule

Submitted by Anon on 7 April, 2007 - 11:12

Up to 40,000 nurses began a work-to-rule in Irish hospitals on 2 April as part of their fight over pay and hours — and said they will escalate their action if their demands are not met.

The Irish Nurses Organisation and the Psychiatric Nurses Association launched the work-to-rule — which will mean, for instance, nurses refusing to answer phones, input medical records or attend meetings not about patient welfare — after talks with management broke down on 1 April. Their members will continue to provide normal direct care to patients.

The nurses are demanding a reduction in their working week from 39 to 35 hours and 10.6% wage rise (the campaign has stressed the fact that qualified staff nurses in the mental health sector earn about 10% less than the care assistants they supervise, but is demanding the pay rise for all nurses). Other public sector unions, such as SIPTU (which also organises some nurses), have unfortunately settled their national wage claims. The government has now provided a 3% pay rise to nurses who are not in the INO or PNA, as a punishment for the latter daring to stand up for their members' rights.

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