Cavan nurses vote on Croke Park deal

Members of the nursing staff of Cavan General Hospital balloted yesterday evening (Tuesday) on the Croke Park proposals on public service pay. Nurses at Our Lady's Hospital, Navan, also voted yesterday and their colleagues at Monaghan General Hospital and Louth County Hospital will cast their ballots this evening. An emergency motion opposing the Croke Park pay and reform proposals was passed unanimously by IMNO delegates at their annual conference in Trim last week. It said acceptance of the deal would result in major cuts in staff and hospital beds and would seriously affect patient care. IMNO general secretary Liam Doran said a no vote would not mean a vote for industrial action. Any further involvement in a wider campaign of industrial action would require a fresh mandate from nurses, he said. In its alternative plan the union proposes an end to the staff recruitment moratorium, an early retirement-voluntary redundancy scheme and admission to hospital on the day of surgery. The government says the deal reached at Croke Park was "the best that could be negotiated", but it has been criticised over a clause which states the terms are subject to there being "no currently-unforeseen budgetary deterioration". The votes are due to be counted as part of the national ballot on May 28 with result known shortly thereafter.