Nurses in Cavan threaten to strike

Linda O"Reilly linda@anglocelt.ie Nurses and midwives in Cavan General Hospital are not ruling out official industrial action in the coming weeks unless new rosters to reduce their working hours are implemented. Nurses gave up their lunch hour last Friday and staged a protest at the gates of the hospital over the failure of hospital management to introduce a new 37 and a half hour working week from June 1 last, as agreed following industrial action last year. Cavan is one of five acute hospitals in the Northeast, which will be balloted in the next few weeks on whether or not to take industrial action, on the issue. Leading the charge, the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) general secretary Liam Doran said that the Government"s commitment to reduce the working week of nurses from 39 hours to 37 and a half hours by June 1 last, had been honoured most hospitals nationwide, except those in the northeast. 'The northeast is undoubtedly the most problematic area. It"s the only area where no acute hospital at all has introduced the reduced working week,' he added. Mr. Doran blamed the lack of progress in the northeast on regional management, which he claimed appeared to be trying to address staffing stortages at the same time. Some of these shortages, he said, resulted from the HSE"s recruitment embargo last year. 'Our belief is management in the region have to sort out those issues with HSE corporate management and not use our members as the meat in the sandwich,' he said. Meanwhile, Joe Hoolan, the INO industrial relations officer for Cavan hospital, said the failure of management to implement the agreed hours was angering and frustrating nurses and midwives in Cavan. The HSE North East insisted that hospital management are committed to introducing the 37 and a half hour working week roster. Following the nursing dispute in April/May 2007, the National Implementation Body (NIB) brokered agreement provided for the introduction of a 37.5hour week for nurses and midwives with effect from June 1 last, where this could be achieved through local negotiations on a cost neutral basis without diminution in service. The HSE could not give a date by which the new rosters will be fully implemented in Cavan but stressed that efforts are being made to bring in the new rosters 'in the shortest timeframe possible'. Eddie Byrne, the Director of Nursing for the Cavan Monaghan Hospital group said it"s 'grossly unfair and totally untrue' to accuse local management or regional management of not pursuing the introduction of the new 37 and a half hour working week. 'It is my professional duty to maintain the highest possible standards of patient care to ensure patient safety and to preserve a safe working environment for our nurses. I also have a responsibility to live within my budget with the resources allocated to me and this agreement makes it very challenging to reconcile those responsibilities within current resources,' he said. 'Both myself, my managers and the North East Acute Hospitals Network Manager have worked tirelessly on this matter. I wish to thank all the nurses in Cavan/Monaghan Hospitals for their hard work, patience and endurance and we will welcome the assistance of the Labour Relations Commission to resolve matters,' added Mr. Byrne. Meanwhile, a HSE statement claimed that significant progress has been made towards implementing the new working hours. It cited the development of new rosters for staff in all specialities. This, the HSE says, will 'generate greater efficiencies in work patterns, minimise the overlap of shifts, takes cognisance of staff paid and unpaid rest breaks and in addition is compliant with the European Working Time Directive'. The media release continued: 'This new roster offers significant benefits to patient safety and staff working conditions. At present this new roster must be introduced without service diminution and on a cost neutral basis.'