Nurses at the Irish Nurses' Organisation’s (INO) annual delegate conference are expected to ballot for all-out strike action later today as part of their ongoing campaign for improved pay.
The INO conference opened in Ballyconnell, Co Cavan yesterday afternoon. Over 380 delegates are expected to debate more than 50 motions before the conference ends tomorrow.
The union, which represents 40,000 nurses and midwives, said yesterday that the conference was being held against a background of a public health service facing severe cutbacks, unresolved pay issues and a lack of confidence in the HSE’s ability to manage a quality assured health service.
Delegates at the conference are set to ballot for industrial action in the form of a full withdrawal of labour in the event that the Labour Court does not grant its demands for parity of pay with therapeutic grades at a hearing on the 22nd May.
"The motion has been tabled at the conference for industrial action and will be discussed later today. While it would be premature to say what the delegates will decide the fact that it's been tabled at all is symptomatic of the deep sense of grievance that persists on the part of nurses and midwives," Edward Mathews, INO Industrial Relations officer, told ireland.comthis morning.
“The fact of the matter is that nurses and midwives are educated to honours degree level but yet are paid lowest of any of the professions which have to have a degree in order to practice within the Irish health service,” he added.
The INO conference is also set to receive an update on the introduction of the 37.5 hour week, for nurses and midwives, from 1st June 2008, and the work to date of the Commission on the Introduction of a 35 hour week for nurses and midwives, chaired by Professor Tom Collins, which is due to report later in the year.
Minister for Health Mary Harney is to address delegates at the conference tomorrow.
