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MINISTER FOR HEALTH, Dr James Reilly is to address the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) at its annual conference this week.
The 94th Annual Delegate Conference of the INMO will see more than 350 nurses and midwives gather in Letterkenny tomorrow for the three-day event.
The findings of the organisation’s new ward watch initiative, as well as its long-standing trolley watch count will be raised with the Minister when he speaks at the conference on Friday.
Debate
INMO General Secretary, Liam Doran said that the conference theme of ‘Protecting the Frontline’ “aptly sums up the approach of the organisation”.
I have no doubt the conference will see very lively debate on many of the motions where we can expect members to speak, from the heart, on their experiences on the frontline as they call for safe nurse/midwife patient ratios and proper resources in all areas of our health care system.
He also said the issue of pay will also dominate the conference “as the government continues to threaten to do further harm and attack public servants’ pay for the third time”.
Croke Park
Also due to be discussed at the conference is the Croke Park 2 agreement. The INMO recently met with the LRC following the rejection of the extension to the Croke Park Agreement and indicated to it that the Croke Park 2 proposals, “having been rejected, are now redundant”.
The INMO remains committed to delivering on-going reform within the health service, as provided for under the current Croke Park Agreement and is also “prepared to engage in a substantial reform programme, which will yield payroll savings”, but said this must protect all existing pay arrangements and conditions of employment.
The organisation is currently awaiting further feedback from the Labour Relations Commission. Time will be set aside on Thursday morning when an emergency motion from its executive council will be debated
Frontline
The conference will also be dominated by discussion of what faces the INMO members on the frontline “as they strive to maintain safe care with reduced resources despite ever increasing demand for services”.
At the conference, they will call for agreed mandatory nurse/patient ratios in Ireland with a standard staffing level of one nurse to four patients in mainstream wards/units.
They will also debate a motion calling on the establishment of a review of current midwifery staffing and practice, chaired by an independent expert, with a view to establishing international best practice and standards.
Delegates will call on the HSE to address the community nurse staffing shortage .The conference will include debates on staffing levels, safe working environments, mandatory training days and calls to liaise with government to ensure equal treatment for international nurses and midwives.
On Wednesday, the conference will be addressed by Mr Ray Kinsella, Economist and Senior Lecturer, Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.
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Hopefully they stick to their guns. There is no need for a Croke Park 2, the savings are available elsewhere and at zero cost to the domestic economy and industrial peace. The fact that the government is even talking about revisiting a deal that was rejected by 70% of people who voted on it shows their complete contempt for the democratic process.
Is it really surprising that 70% of people vote against having their pay reduced? Is the real surprise not that 30% did?
Would be interested to hear your views on how the savings can be made without reducing pay, with no impact on economy. Sounds a lot like the silver bullet we’re all looking for…
Most of the specialist unions have presented alternatives to paycuts – and most have done a better job than the government has at finding alternatives.
Make the public service efficient, a Paycut is an insult.
“Would be interested to hear your views on how the savings can be made without reducing pay, with no impact on economy. ”
Who said anything about reducing pay? The extra 350 million this year has to be found, not because the public service has not hit its targets, but because the exchequer is not hitting its own ones. The adjustment does not have to come from the public sector paybill, it can come from anywhere.
If the amount spent needs to reduce then either the current level of numbers are maintained at a pay cut or the numbers are reduced and pay remains the same. I would have expected maintaining jobs is the key here?
I’m not well read on all alternatives proposed, most appears to point towards taking it off some other group – i.e. not the front line, those that earn over X per annum…
Quick example. If our government was willing to say to the foreign dignitaries that they rub shoulders with “We’re in the middle of a national emergency, we will be halving our foreign aid until we’re out the other side of it” instead of looking for more money off people who have already taken a 15% pay cut that they have to give more.
300 million saved…no impact on domestic economy.
Actually the INMO has given realistic savings through efficiencies in its own sector. As has the IMO. They know money has gotta be saved, they’re not denying it. They’re just doing it through proper reform as opposed to the hatchet cuts. The government doesn’t appear to be interested.
Having been in Hospital since early January I have to say most nurses deserve every penny they get. I know I might be slightly biased currently but the care and courtesy the nurses bring to their jobs and issues they face is priceless and should not be interfered with due to some ill conceved notion of savings introduced by someone sitting at a desk.
Kerry
I wonder at the intelligence levels in the broader community when people suggest that salaries in the Public Service should be determined by the “care and courtesy” exhibited by relevant employee groups! Throughout my entire career I placed a high value on those values but to say that nurses should be excluded from making a fair contribution to whatever pain is coming the way of PS employees because they’re nice and saw your private parts is just pathetic.
Rick I think you might find nurses deal with a bit more then some pen pusher faced with an irate customer. Maybe you should get yourself down to your A&E just to checkout the trauma nurses deal with day to day. As an aside I wonder about the intelligence levels in the broader community when people don’t appreciate that some jobs are harder and more mentally / physically challenging then others.
Under benchmarking jobs were compared but nurses work unsociable hours, which others on similar levels of pay and training did not, and rates for these duties were agreed to take into account the unsocial hours, poor conditions and often the physical danger they face at these times. Until people keep their illnesses to 9-5, night duty and weekends will continue to be part of core duties and core pay. €3k pay cut for someone on less than about €40k is a lot more than their fair contribution, especially considering those on less than €65 were supposed to be protected from further cuts.
Yep, completely unfair to say no cut below 65k per yr when nurses and other 24/7/365 will be cut on night money and weekend work which is core pay. Adds up to about 3k cut on 40k salary.
I see the government people are busy on this site, dont you wish they would go away…..
Pay cuts a commin.
Pay cuts leading on to strikes and other forms of industrial action, the country hasn’t seen for a generation more like it.
All could be avoided even now, if the Government engaged in true negotiation with public sector workers. Sadly, I fear not.
Call me old fashioned but shouldn’t patient care dominate a nurse conference……
have your say