LRC asked to mediate in nurses' strike

Health Minister Micheal Martin has asked the Labour Relations Commission to intervene in the dispute between the Government and nurses in Ireland’s accident and emergency departments.

The announcment shows that the minister is not prepared to meet the demands of the Nursing Alliance, which organised a two-hour stoppage today to highlight the plight of A&E nurses.

Mr Martin has already expressed his disappointment that a solution could not be found during talks between nurses and the Health Service Employers Agency.

The nurses mounted today’s strike to protest at working conditions and overcrowding in A&E units and to demand action rather than a continuation of the talks that have made little progress over the past number of years.