Ocean fm, October 24, 2006 The Irish Nurses Organisation North West branch are hitting out at pay rises awarded to senior HSE managers. INO members from Donegal, Sligo, South Leitrim branches vented their anger at recent branch meetings in the North West. They're angry at reports of increases in salaries and in the number of posts at senior health service manager grades while they continue to wait for their pay claims to be addressed. ... North

Ocean fm, October 23, 2006 Nurses in the North West are furious at the latest management pay rises in the Health Service. Irish Nursing Organisation members from Donegal, Sligo, South Leitrim branches are angry at reports of increases in salaries and in the number of posts at senior health service manager grades while they continue to wait for their pay claims to be addressed. INO Industrial relations officer Noel Treanor says nurses are being refused resources in other areas despite the latest management pay rises. ... Local

SIPTU, Ocober 16, 2006 “A significant improvement in pay and reduced hours is warranted in recognition of the increased professionalism of nursing within the health service,” declared SIPTU’s National Nursing Official, Miriam McCluskey. During a robust oral presentation to the Benchmarking Body today, Ms McCluskey set out SIPTU’s expectations on behalf of its nursing members - including increased pay and reduced hours. ... SIPTU

Irish Health, October 17, 2006 Nurses will step up their campaign for better pay and a shorter working week by holding a major rally next month. The rally, which has been organised by the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) and the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA), will highlight attempts to achieve a 35-hour week for nurses and midwives. Currently, they work 39 hours per week. The rally will also highlight attempts to eliminate an anomaly which sees qualified and unqualified childcare workers being paid more than nurses and midwives for the first 21 years of their career. ... Nurses

SIPTU, October 12, 2006 SIPTU's National Industrial Secretary, Matt Merrigan described the Taoiseach's negative comments about health service employees as a 'cheap shot.' The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern told an IBEC conference in Dublin on October 10, that problems in health and other public services could not be solved unless working practices changed. He went on to suggest that those in the health sector only worked a six-hour day and took Friday afternoons off. ... Taoiseach

Irish Examiner, October 10, 2006 The result of the ballot of almost 50 midwives working at the Bon Secours hospital in Cork is expected tomorrow evening. The Irish Nurses’ Organisation (INO) declined to speculate on the outcome of the ballot last night. However, it is expected that the midwives will withdraw from talks aimed at the introduction of a unified maternity service at Cork University Hospital’s (CUH) new €75 million maternity hospital which is due to open next March. They are also expected to introduce a work to rule and withdraw their services from non-midwifery tasks. ... Midwives

Galway Independent, October 11, 2006 University College Hospital, Galway, has obtained the worst rating of Galway's three public hospitals in an on line patient satisfaction survey. The RateMyHospital website's patient satisfaction survey was launched by Irishhealth.com in September. Visitors complete a survey on their local hospital, rating every aspect of their experience there. UCHG scored a 61 per cent satisfaction rating, Merlin Park Regional Hospital scored 63 per cent, while Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe recieved 74 per cent. One former UCHG patient noted, "Having a baby should be a wonderful and special experience. My stay there was a nightmare. I felt like a burden to the nurses." ... UCHG

RTE, October 11, 2006 The Irish Nurses Organisation has reported a reduction in the number of patients on trolleys for the period June to September this year. It says a detailed analysis of its trolley watch figures shows a 40% reduction in the daily average number of patients on trolleys waiting for an in-patient bed in Dublin. But it also reveals a slight increase in patients on trolleys in accident and emergency departments outside of Dublin, particularly in Letterkenny, Drogheda, Cork, Limerick and Mayo. ... INO

RTE, October 9, 2006 Midwives at the private Bon Secours Hospital in Cork are to ballot for industrial action in a dispute over their employment position after obstetric services are transferred to Cork University Hospital next march. The Irish Nurses Organisation says that the issue should be dealt with under the Redundancy Payments Act. The act would make a redundancy package available to midwives if they do not wish to move to another area within the hospital or seek employment under a new unified maternity service due to open at CUH. ... Bon Secours

Ian McGuinness, Irish Medical Times, October 6, 2006 Industrial action threatened by the Psychiatric Nurses Association and SIPTU has been called off. The decision came after the unions were called to the Labour Relations Commission and presented with a proposal for a redress scheme for nurses who are injured in the line of work. The document the unions received last week stated that a scheme will be introduced early next year, but will not cover psychological trauma. It is due to be administered by a third party and the will not have any retrospective aspect, which means that nurses injured before it comes into effect will not be covered. ... Nurses

SIPTU, September 29, 2006 The threat of industrial action by psychiatric nurses next month has been withdrawn by SIPTU Nursing and the Psychiatric Nurses Association. The unions had threatened to take action on October 9 over the failure of the authorities in the health service to make sufficient progress on a compensation scheme for psychiatric nurses assaulted at work. Following the intervention of the Labour Relations Commission this morning, SIPTU Nursing and the PNA received clarification which goes some way towards addressing this issue. ... Psychiatric

Irish Examiner, September 25, 2006
Psychiatric nurses have set October 9th as the start date for their industrial action over compensation for attacks at work. The Psychiatric Nurses Association and SIPTU are planning the action in pursuit of a proper compensation scheme for members who are attacked on the job. A decision on the form of strike action to take is due to be made by the PNA executive on Friday.

Ian McGuinness, Irish Medical Times, September 20, 2006 Psychiatric institutions could be hit by industrial action, including a strike, within a fortnight unless nurses are given details of promised redress scheme for injuries at work. The Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA), which represents 4,800 psychiatric nurses, and SIPTU, which has about 2,500, balloted their members on industrial action. Ninety-one percent of PNA members and 91.5 per cent of SIPTU members who voted were in favour of industrial action. The unions have cited health service management for breach of procedure after the management, according to the PNA and SIPTU, twice failed to provide details of a proposed redress scheme at the Labour Relations Commission. ... Psychiatric

Services, Industrial, Professional & Technical Union, September 16, 2006 The Psychiatric Nurses' Association and SIPTU Nursing have served three weeks’ notice of their intention to take industrial action over the failure of the authorities in the health service to provide a compensation scheme for psychiatric nurses assaulted at work in line with the recommendations of a joint employer-union task force. The decision follows ballots of psychiatric nurses in the two organisations - which resulted in an overwhelming majority (with ratios of over ten-to-one  in each case) in favour of industrial action. ... Nursing

IOL, September 15, 2006 Psychiatric nurses have served three weeks’ strike notice on the Health Service Executive as part of a dispute over compensation in the event of assault or injury. Members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association and SIPTU have voted by 90% in favour of industrial action in pursuit of a proper compensation scheme. The two unions are due to meet over the coming weeks to decide the exact form the action will take. More than 1,250 assaults on psychiatric nurses were recorded last year, a 50% increase on the figure for 2001. ... Psychiatric