MEMBERS of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and SIPTU staged a second four-hour work stoppage this Wednesday after talks to resolve the issues which they are protesting broke down at the Labour Relations Commission. And a warning has been issued that further stoppages are a possibility. Said Mary Foley, INMO Industrial relations officer: “No agreement was reached following five hours of talks at the Labour Relations Commission on Tuesday.
“From the outset at the LRC, management acknowledged the sincerity of all the issues raised by nurses. “However, due to the moratorium on recruitment and the huge financial deficit which the hospital finds itself in, local HSE management were not in a position to immediately address, even on an interim basis for a period of five to six weeks, the patient safety concerns of our members.
“This, at a very minimum, would have enabled the hospital to commence addressing many internal systems issues that are long overdue”.
This is the second time that staff at the emergency department (ED) have downed tools to highlight what they describe as “dangerous” overcrowding at the department, making it impossible for staff to deliver satisfactory standards of patient care.
The stoppage on Wednesday began at 8.30am.
“This is due to the inability of the Minister for Health and the HSE to address the patient safety concerns of members. Nurses at the hospital continue to voice their concerns regarding gross overcrowding and the consequent negative effect this is having on delivery of a satisfactory standard of nursing care in the ED and throughout the hospital,” a statement on behalf of the INMO said.
As nurses worked without pay inside to supply emergency cover while their colleagues stood on the picket line, a few members of the public joined the picket. and Ms Fogarty said that nurses want to see more people turning out to support them.
“This is their hospital and if they want a safe emergency department, we would urge members of the public and community groups to come out,” she said, adding that further stoppages are “a possibility”.
There was no statement available from the HSE at time of going to press.
Meanwhile, Health Minister James Reilly, said he expects to receive a report from the special delivery unit on problems on delays at the Mid-West Regional Hospital by the end of this week.
