Our TDs’ reactions to the ongoing dispute
Deputy Brendan Howlin
Labour leader and former Minister for Health Brendan Howlin believes the Government is not doing nearly enough to resolve the nurses’ dispute and accused them of ‘answering a call for negotiations with press statements’. He said: ‘They are not engaging meaningfully in negotiations and if they continue, this will result in the continuation of strike action by nurses.’
‘Patient safety and the fair treatment of workers is on the line here. If the Government cannot find a way to the table immediately, they call into question their ability to handle industrial disputes going into the future.’
Deputy Howlin said the Government should be using their Public Pay Deal to resolve the issue. ‘There is provision within the deal we have now to address concerns if there is a retention issue.’
‘It is well know that there is a recruitment and retention issue in nursing which has been an ongoing concern for staff and unions for years.’
Minister of State Michael D’Arcy
With further strike action looming this week, Minister of State Michael D’Arcy is hopeful that a resolution can be reached between the government and the INMO. He believes that there is now a willingness to engage on both sides and that the government is doing all it can to resolve the dispute.
‘Well when you look at it, there’s been nine to ten hours of talks on Friday, Saturday and Sunday,’ he said. ‘I think both sides are doing all they can to resolve this. It’s certainly not from lack of effort and the hours are being put in.’
With pay seemingly being the burning issue and the Public Service Stability Agreement proving a major stumbling block, Minister D’Arcy has described what the nurses are seeking as ‘a big ask’.
‘Well the public sector pay deal is there and it was only agreed fifteen months ago,’ he said. ‘The issue there is around recruitment and retention, but I think what the nurses are seeking is a big ask. Obviously it would have significant knockon effects on the rest of the public sector and public sector workers. But I am hopeful that some resolution can be found.’
Deputy James Browne
Fianna Fáil’s Deputy James Browne has said negotiation and engagement is what’s needed to bring about a successful resolution to the ongoing nursing strike.
‘Up to now the Government has not done everything it could do in terms of engagement,’ he said. ‘When it did engage with the nurses there were pre-conditions and you can’t have that either.’
‘There will only be a resolution through dialogue and without pre-conditions.’
‘They don’t do this lightly and they only do this when there is no other option,’ he added. ‘The consultation needs to be full and frank.’ Deputy Browne said that despite the public sector pay agreement in place there is scope for engagement.
‘Nurses have a valid right to argue why they get paid €60,000 less than other health professionals even though they are equally as qualified.’ Minister of State Paul Kehoe
Minister of State Paul Kehoe has stated that while he is ‘acutely aware’ of the great work that nurses and midwives do and what they’re going through, they cannot be treated differently to any other public sector workers.
‘Nurses are public sector workers and they do come under the Public Service Stability Agreement,’ he said. ‘Like all public sector workers, we are working towards pay restoration and there are increments twice a year in January and October I think it is. The Public Services Pay Commission already looked at the nurses’ situation back in 2018 and the recommendations are there to be seen.’
‘The problem we have,’ he continued, ‘is that if we take the nurses out of the Public Service Stability Agreement and give them what they’re looking for, then we’ll have the teachers, the gardaí, the soldiers, the SNAs all wondering why they are not getting a pay rise too.
‘We don’t want to end up in the same kind of recession we were in back in 2008.’
Minister Kehoe said that the Ministers for Health and Public Expenditure had invited INMO representatives to engage in discussions, but not, however, on the issue of core pay. He suggests that perhaps the way to break the deadlock is to let the labour court decide.
Deputy Mick Wallace
Deputy Wallace said in the Dáil last week: ‘The Ministers have a big problem and I am sure it is not easy to fix. They are caught between a rock and a hard place. In terms of the reason for that, there has been a rise in inequality in most of the developed world in recent years and the problem has grown.
‘They will not solve the nurses’ recruitment and retention issue. Unless they pay them better, it will remain a problem. It will not go away. They will most likely continue to strike until they get what they see is a fair wage.
The Government says it cannot break the public sector pay agreement, and that is understandable, but it will have to break it. Does that mean that more claims and strikes will follow by other people who believe they should be paid more? It is a huge problem but, truth be told, other sectors too are probably struggling to make ends meet.’