Nurses begin voting on pay plan of action

THE first of 40,000 midwives and nurses, members of the Irish Nurses’ Organisation (INO) and the Psychiatric Nurses’ Association (PNA), began voting last night on a plan of action to improve pay and working conditions.

The first meetings, in a nationwide series which will be staged over the next 10 days, were held in Cork and Tullamore.

The main nurses’ unions are seeking endorsement of the plan of action, which includes a nationwide work-to-rule on a date to be determined, and a possible withdrawal of labour, for short periods, on a regional basis, but with emergency services being maintained.