Nurses criticise 'uncontrolled downsizing' of public sector

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has criticised the Government's plan to cut more than 23,000 jobs from the public sector over the next four years.

The trade union has described the move as "uncontrolled downsizing", saying no plan is in place to ensure patient safety will be maintained if thousands of nurses choose to leave the sector.

Yesterday, the Minister of State for Public Service Reform Brian Hayes admitted that the Government cannot say for sure whether or not this plan will affect frontline services.

General Secretary of the INMO Liam Doran said it feared that 1,200 to 1,300 nursing staff could leave before February 28.

"At the moment there is no plan from management to suggest how we are gong to deal with that," he said. "We don't know where these people are (or) what grade they're in.

"The most right wing private-sector employer wouldn’t suggest that you can have uncontrolled loss of posts and at the same time maintain that industry or that service."