Nurses win right for paid half-days to attend festivals

NURSES have won the right to take two paid half-days to attend the Mary From Dungloe and Rory Gallagher festivals after taking their case to the Labour Court.

Nurses in Galway are also entitled to take a half-day’s paid leave to attend the annual Galway Races.

The right of up to 100 Donegal nurses to take leave for the two local festivals was copper-fastened in a Labour Court recommendation earlier this month. The practice of giving half-days first began 40 years ago when nurses couldn’t physically access patients as roads around the towns were blocked off because off the festival. After a two-year stoppage, it will restart this year.

In 2003, the North Western Health Board withdrew the two half-days from the public health and community nurses, which had allowed them to attend local festivals. But, according to the Irish Medical Times, the action was fought strongly by the Irish Nurses Organisation in March and, early this month, the court recommended the INO’s claim be conceded with “appropriate retrospection”, and said a long-standing agreement existed through custom and practice. “If the employer wishes to change an agreement or well-established practice, this should be done through negotiation and agreement.”

INO industrial relations officer Noel Treanor disagreed that the work practice was outdated and ran contrary to a modern health service. “It became difficult for persons working in the community to provide services at the time of festivals because roads would be blocked. So, what they did was do their essential calls and take a half-day. Health service management were entirely wrong to force any such change without full consultation. This should have been done by negotiation and agreement.”

At the Labour Court, employers argued that they withdrew the concessionary half-days because it was only intended to give them to clerical and administrative staff. They said the HSE-West already gave three other concessionary days to its registered general nurses and it was not in a position to extend the number of such days. Yesterday, a HSE North Western Area spokeswoman said: “We will obviously be abiding by the industrial machinery of the State and would implement the Labour Court recommendations.”