Nurses threaten strike unless managers honour agreements

NURSES’ representatives have threatened industrial unrest before the end of the year if health service managers continue to break national agreements.

The warning was issued by Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) president Ann Martin who said the union would no longer tolerate failure to implement agreements by employers who knew nurses could not respond with strike action. Participation in benchmarking and Sustaining Progress precludes nurses from striking.

“Employers are adopting the view that they are free to engage in negative, unhelpful and counter-productive action as the INO cannot respond with industrial action. Let me make it quite clear this is the rock upon which they will founder,” Ms Martin said.