Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)

I also take this opportunity to support the nurses' demands. There are seven or eight demands, but there are only three core demands, namely, the anomaly with other grades, the 35-hour week and the 10.5% pay lag behind equivalent grades.

This has the hallmarks of becoming a very dirty dispute. Officials from the HSE stated that they had contingency plans, but I believe the contingency plans were to create chaos. On the first day of this dispute, 14 elective operations were cancelled in Cavan General Hospital, which is about one day's work. That was either due to incompetence or deliberate chaos. I believe the HSE has a plan to turn the public against the nurses. The Government will not win against the nurses, but it might if it can create enough chaos.

Most nurses now have third level qualifications after four years of training. Many of these nurses have dual qualifications and some of them even have three or four qualifications, yet they are paid less than their colleagues. Their colleagues deserve what they earn, such as house parents who often earn 10% more than nurses, but nurses' salary should at least match that. When nurses are asked to move from the hospital into the community where they are needed, those nurses have to pay their own bills. They suffer a 20% loss in income by moving into a community setting because part of their wage is made up from night duty, weekend duty and so on. They must also pay their bills and energy costs, which are increasing all the time. These nurses are expected to lead the service. The Government must sit down with nurses and get involved.

Nurses are acting in very stressful situations in accident and emergency departments. The north east has 20% of the national bed count. Nurses expected to deal with this every day become demoralised because they cannot perform their task, yet the Government will not get serious and enter negotiations with them.

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