Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Before I begin, I take the opportunity to extend my deepest sympathy and those of my party colleagues to our comrade, Deputy David Cullinane, and the wider Cullinane family on the death of their mother Berna who is being laid to rest in Waterford. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis.

In just under a fortnight's time, members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, are due to commence industrial action with a series of 24 hour work stoppages over the following weeks. Members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association, PNA, are also due to commence industrial action with a three-day stoppage due to take place from 12 to 14 of February. We all know that strike action is the last thing nurses and midwives and medical professionals for that matter want to undertake. These people believe they have been left with no choice but to undertake such action given the ignorance, arrogance and the ineptitude of the Taoiseach and his Government colleagues in relation to dealing with the crisis we face. The Government has had years to address the recruitment and retention crisis in our hospitals and we see how it is crippling our health service but it has completely failed. The situation has deteriorated year-on-year and month-on-month. Nurses, midwives and their unions have continuously sought engagement with the Minister for Health as well as with the Minister for Finance to address the question of staff shortages and pay to avert the industrial action we face. Their concerns have been routinely ignored by this Government. In fact, what has happened is that they have been verbally attacked, threatened and insulted as they have tried to achieve a resolution to a crisis and it is impacting on so many of our patients.

It is the staff of our hospitals who have acted with responsibility and in a mature manner. The Taoiseach and his Government have decided to disengage. Nurses and midwives deserve our full support. In terms of their demand for a better health service that treats them as essential, skilled workers and with dignity and value, I and my party fully support them. The Taoiseach's approach has been to dismiss these concerns and industrial action is now the regrettable outworking of his Government's policy and that of his Minister as he ignores the issue of the recruitment and retention crisis in our hospitals.

For years nurses, midwives and their unions have put forward sensible proposals to try to address this issue. Last April we in Sinn Féin passed a motion in this House calling for the introduction of recruitment and retention measures based on realistic proposals which would prioritise pay. It was supported by the majority of Deputies in this House. This motion called for Government to work with unions to draw up a roadmap for full pay equality with an implementation plan to deliver pay equality within a short timeframe, not the eight year timeframe the Taoiseach has offered.

At the 11th hour, will the Taoiseach concede that he has failed to tackle the recruitment and retention crisis in the health service? Will he accept that the issue needs to be addressed and will he commit to proper engagement with the nurses and midwives and their unions and give them the fair deal they deserve, one that means all parties, including the Ministers for Health and Finance, will be obliged to be at the table?

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