HSE may cut nurses’ pay by up to 20%

THE nurses’ dispute is set for a major escalation if the Health Service Executive (HSE) goes ahead with its threat to cut nurses’ pay by 20% next week.

As thousands of nurses took part in one-hour work stoppages around the country yesterday, Barry O’Brien, the HSE’s assistant national human resources director, said the HSE was seriously considering a pay cut for nurses if the work-to-rule went on.

“We can no longer sustain costs of €2 million per week which we’re paying people to do the work nurses normally do. Our options include reducing all nurses’ pay by up to 20%, if the work-to-rule continues,” he said. He warned of chaos if nurses’ unions held their planned three-hour work stoppages in a number of hospitals next week.