Nurses' strikes to hit Cavan

Six proposed strikes will affect all but “emergency and life preserving cover” at Cavan General Hospital if a resolution is not arrived at before the first withdrawal of labour on January 30.
Nursing unions are meeting with the Health Service Executive and the Department of Health today (Tuesday) in a bid to avert a series of strikes over pay and staff shortages.
The nurses have pledged to maintain emergency cover during the strikes, however the rescheduling of cancellations will impact on the local waiting lists.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has indicated it will conduct six 24-hour strikes. The 37,000 members of the group will first withdraw labour on January 30. The industrial action will continue on February 5, 7, 12, 13 and 14.
The nursing unions say inadequate pay is impairing recruitment and retention of staff and they are seeking a 12% pay rise to bring them into line with therapy grades like physiotherapists.
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform maintain the €300m estimated cost of the nurses’ claim would trigger knock-on claims across the public service, as happened when a €50m award to gardaí in 2016 led to an additional €120m in payments to other public servants.
David Miskell is the industrial relations officer for the INMO at Cavan General hospital. He explained to the Celt the range of the industrial action. “It’s going to be an all-out withdrawal of labour, subject to the provision of emergency only cover. It is going to have quite a significant effect in Cavan.
“The dispute relates to all acute and community services. In Cavan General it will have result in the cancellation of any elective procedures, out patient appointments, scopes, many of the day-to-day procedures. It has the potential to affect respite services. All that will be available on the 30th is emergency and life preserving cover.”
The union official was not optimistic about the outcome of today's negotiations: “The ball is now in their court. I am not hopeful of it [a resolution], but obviously we will go in with the aim of trying to achieve one. The indications at this point in time is that there isn’t. Obviously we will work toward one.”
Other public service unions including Fórsa have warned that, if any group is awarded a special pay rise, they will seek increases for their members.
SIPTU, which represents 4,000 nurses, is not taking industrial action, and has pledged to pursue higher pay for members through procedures consistent with the Public Service Stability Agreement and the Public Service Pay Commission.
The Public Service Pay Commission was precluded by its terms of reference from considering a general pay rise for nurses, but raised the possibility of a review through a separate process.
A spokesperson for the RCSI Group, which oversees Cavan General Hospital, was not available when the paper was going to print.
The Anglo-Celt will bring you regular updates on the negotiations on our website as the story develops.