Nurses to commence industrial action at St Vincents next Monday

MEMBERS of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) in the Emergency Department (ED) of St Vincent’s University Hospital have voted to commence a campaign of industrial action up to and including the withdrawal of labour.

The plan for industrial action agreed to date will include a lunchtime protest from 1pm-2pm on Monday, October 12, at the entrance to the hospital.

On Tuesday, October 13, a work to rule will commence from 8am whereby nurses will withdraw from any clerical work; non-nursing duties or use of information technology; and use of phones, except the two emergency ambulance ones in the ED to ensure patient safety.

According to the INMO, these steps will afford nurses more time for patient care.

The action follows intensive efforts by INMO members to resolve overcrowding problems where more than 100 patients are regularly being accommodated in the Emergency Department which has a capacity for only 18 patients on trolleys. The union says that an inability to recruit and retain nurses has made it very difficult to provide safe care for patients and it is an “intolerable” working environment for members.

Speaking today, INMO Industrial Relations Officer, Philip McAnenly, said: “Our members are totally frustrated at management’s failure to address this problem or even acknowledge the extent of the crisis caused by this overcrowding. Patient care and safety is being compromised on a daily basis because of this intolerable overcrowding which totally prevents our members from providing the care they believe is necessary for their patients.”

Mr McAnenly added that the decision to commence industrial action, up to and including withdrawal of labour, had been unanimous.