Martin Wall, Irish Times, October 28, 2008 The number of undergraduate nurse training places is to be cut by 16.5 per cent as part of new Government cutbacks, the State's largest trade union, Siptu, has stated. Siptu said yesterday that the number of places is set to be reduced from 1,880 to 1,570. Siptu's national nursing official, Louise O'Reilly, also said last night that the union understood that specialist practice courses would also be affected by the new cutbacks. She also maintained that the add-on conversion to degree programme for nurses would be ended. ... Siptu

Donal Hickey, Irish Examiner, October 15, 2008 A row between more than 200 student nurses and Health Service Executive (HSE) management arising from the withdrawal of free parking at Kerry General Hospital (KGH), in Tralee, is deadlocked. The students have been told they can no longer use swipe cards that gave them free access to the staff car park and must pay €10 a day for parking. The Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) has threatened industrial action if the decision is not reversed. INO industrial officer Michael Dineen said he was “absolutely appalled” at management’s action. ... Deadlock

BBC News, October 10, 2008 A public sector union has threatened to call a strike if jobs cuts in the Health Service are forced through. More than 700 nursing posts are under threat in Northern Ireland as part of wider plans to cut almost 2,500 health service jobs over the next three years. Catherine Harte from Unison said patient care could not suffer. "Any attempt to move ahead with the cuts to frontline jobs and services will be met with strong resistance from UNISON, including industrial action." Health Minister Michael McGimpsey has said he wants to make savings of £344m in line with Stormont efficiency plans. ... Union

Jason Michael, Irish Times, September 12, 2008 The Irish Nurses' Organisation (INO) has held protests at three hospitals in the northeast today over the length of the working week. Members of the INO protested from 1 PM to 1.30 PM at the Louth County Hospital, Dundalk; Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda; and Our Lady's Hospital, Navan. The INO, Ireland's largest union for nurses and midwives, claimed that management failed to to implement the nationally agreed 37.5 hour working week for all nurses and midwives in these three hospitals. ... Northeast

Eithne Donnellan, Irish Times, August 30, 2008 Nurses at the five acute hospitals in the northeast will be balloted on industrial action in coming weeks unless new rosters to reduce their working hours are implemented, the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) has said. INO general secretary Liam Doran said yesterday the Government's commitment to reduce the working week of nurses from 39 hours to 37 1/2 hours by June 1st last had now been honoured in 75 per cent of cases. Progress had been made in all regions, except in the northeast, he said. ... Nurses

Eimear Ni Bhraonain, Irish Independent, August 30, 2008 Nurses have threatened industrial action because promised new rosters for a shorter working week have not been implemented. The Irish Nurses' Organisation said yesterday that the new 37.5 working week - due to be put in place last June - has still not been implemented in the northeast and parts of Cork and Galway. Nurses and midwives at Cavan General marched outside the main gates of the hospital at 1 PM yesterday to protest at the delay. ... Nurses

Clare O’Sullivan, Irish Examiner, August 30, 2008 In a sign of their growing impatience, the Irish Nurses Organisation has threatened industrial action over the non-implementation of new rosters for a shorter working week. The INO said the new 37.5-hour week, which was due to be implemented in June, is still not in place in the northeast and parts of Cork and Galway. The union has begun balloting members in Trim, Co Meath, and will also ballot members in counties Monaghan and Cavan if progress is not made. A lunchtime protest was held at Cavan General Hospital ... Nurses

Evelyn Ring, Irish Examiner, August 29, 2008 Nurses at Cavan General Hospital are staging a lunchtime protest today to express their anger at the failure by management to implement the shorter working week. A 37.5-hour working week, which was agreed following last year’s national nurses’ dispute, has already been introduced in other hospitals nationwide. Nurses and midwives at Cavan, who are members of the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO), say they are angry and frustrated at the delay in introducing the new working time. Agreement on the shorter working week was brokered by the National Implementation Body with effect from June 1 last ... Nurses

Irish Times, March 6, 2008 A nurse will die unless attacks on medical
staff in Northern Ireland are stopped, it was claimed today. The
warning followed an attack on two nurses by two women who burst into
the A&E at the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine. A computer was also
smashed. SDLP MLA John Dallat claimed: "Something must be done before
someone is killed. It is a sad reflection on society that our
front-line staff saving lives need security staff, but that is reality.
It is a fact that some people, often crazed on drink and drugs frequent
A&E departments on a regular basis making life hell for those who
work there." He said it is ironic that other public buildings have
ample security staff while the most vulnerable are not protected. New

Martin Frawley, Sunday Tribune, March 2, 2008 Official figures for days
lost through industrial disputes last year ignored the damaging nurses'
lunchtime disputes in March because the CSO only counts strikes which
have lasted for at least a day. Labour affairs minister Billy Kelleher
welcomed new CSO figures showing 6,038 days lost though disputes as the
lowest since records began in 1923. But the highly disruptive nurses'
industrial campaign was not counted because the main form of action was
one- to two-hour lightning stoppages and a work-to-rule. ... Nurses

Caitlin O’Hanlon, Galway First, February 18, 2008 The long-predicted
aftermath of the HSE recruitment embargo hit University Hospital Galway
last week with the closure of a number of beds in one of the busiest
wards in the hospital. Four beds in UHG’s “extremely busy” St Pius Ward
were closed last week following difficulties arising from the HSE
recruitment freeze, management staff have confirmed. The 30-bed ward,
which is the hospital’s urology unit, is a tertiary referral centre for
patients from throughout the country. Hospital staff members confirmed
that the appointments of a number of patients had to be cancelled last
week due to the closures. ... Recruitment

Irish Nurses Organisation, February 11, 2008 The Irish Nurses
Organisation warmly welcomes the announcement, by Ms. Mary Harney TD,
Minister for Health and Children, (see below) that the Commission on
Nurses Working Hours, which will independently assess how a 35-hour
week, for nurses and midwives, can be introduced, will commence its
work in March 2008 and report within six months. In particular the INO
wishes to welcome the appointment of Professor Tom Collins, Head of the
Education Department, NUI Maynooth, as Chairperson of the Commission.
... INO

Medical News Today, February 8, 2008 Responding to the Health
Minister's announcement on the new structures for health and social
care in Northern Ireland, Mary Hinds, Royal College of Nursing (RCN)
Northern Ireland Director said: "We welcome the fact that the minister
has ended this period of uncertainty and outlined his proposals for a
new Regional Health and Social Care Board and five Local Commissioning
Groups. In particular, we are pleased that locally elected
representatives, voluntary and community groups will have an input into
these groups. ... " New

Independent.ie, February 8, 2008 Up to 100 jobs could be in jeopardy at
a major hospital, it emerged yesterday, writes Eilish O'Regan. The
Irish Nurses' Organisation said it was "alarmed" at proposals not to
renew the contracts of up to 30 nurses at Tullamore General hospital.
Five nurses have already been told their contracts will not be renewed.
However, there are fears another 20 nurses' jobs are on the line, and
up to 100 contracts may be at risk, including those of dieticians,
occupational therapists and adminsitrative staff. "These temporary
contracts may not be renewed because the purpose for which the person
was employed no longer applies," said a hospital spokesperson. "No
permanent jobs have been affected," she added. ©independent.ie

Independent.ie, February 6, 2008 A major acute hospital has requested
that nurses take unpaid leave in a bid to eliminate a budgetary
overrun. Nurses at the Mercy University Hospital (MUH) in Cork have
been asked to consider a period of six weeks unpaid leave as health
chiefs battle to achieve specific budgetary targets. The unpaid leave
would then operate in conjunction with the temporary closure of a
selection of wards at MUH over the coming months. The Mercy Hospital
stressed that the unpaid leave is entirely voluntary. Nursing unions
have expressed concern at the move. ©independent.ie