Nurses' work stoppage called off

A planned two-hour work stoppage at hospitals nationwide has been called off following a breakthrough in talks between nurses and health employers.

The Irish Nurses' Organisation and the Psychiatric Nurses' Association have accepted a deal put forward by the National Implementation Body which will see their working week cut from 39 hours down to 37.5 hours by June of next year.

It will also involve a pay rise which will be processed through bench-marking.

It represents a major compromise from the 35-hour week and 10.6% pay hike that nurses had wanted.

However, the work-to-rule involving a ban on administrative work by nurses will continue until next Monday.

The unions must ballot their members for a formal mandate on whether to end the industrial action.