Nurses and orderlies to vote on industrial action

TRADE unions representing nurses and orderlies in the psychiatric health sector are to ballot their members on industrial action following the collapse of talks with employers on a compensation scheme for workers assaulted by patients.

The talks between the Psychiatric Nurses’ Association (PNA), SIPTU and, on the other side, representatives from the Departments of Health and Finance and the Health Service Executive (HSE), had been brokered by the Labour Relations Commission in a agreement reached on May 24 last.

Yesterday, the Department of Health was expected to lay out before the PNA, which represents 6,500 nurses, and SIPTU its proposals for a compensation scheme.