Nurses to strike next week after talks break down

Nurses are to press ahead with two-hour strikes at seven of the country’s busiest hospitals next Tuesday after talks to avert the stoppages broke down.

The action is being taken over what the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation described as overcrowding and the failure to attract more staff.

Talks between the union and health service management at the Workplace Relations Commission broke down without agreement.

An INMO spokesperson said: “In spite of agreements providing for the immediate recruitment of 144 nurses across 12 of the 26 ED departments, which cannot be filled on current terms, health employers failed to produce an incentivised recruitment package.

“UK and Irish private hospitals are actively recruiting Irish nurses with attractive incentive packages, while the Irish health service is haemorrhaging nurses.”

The union pointed out that there were 2,449 admitted patients waiting on trolleys in the first seven days of December.

The seven hospitals which will next Tuesday have two-hour rolling strikes with pickets are: Beaumont Hospital, Dublin (8-10am); Mercy University Hospital, Cork (8-10am); Tallaght Hospital, Dublin (10am-12noon); Cavan General (10am-12noon); University Hospital Waterford (12-2pm); Midlands Regional Hospital, Tullamore (12-2pm); University Hospital, Galway (2-4pm).