Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will be sharing time with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Donohoe.

I thank the Deputies for raising this motion on such an important issue. It has been good to have an opportunity to debate concerns over this impending dispute strike by the INMO and PNA. The Government’s countermotion sets out the route for this dispute to be resolved, which is through engagement. I and my colleagues in the Independent Alliance appreciate the strength of feeling among nurses about their pay and conditions. Many of us have family members and friends who are nurses and we totally understand their concerns. However, we want solutions.

As has been mentioned repeatedly in the debate on this motion, the nursing profession is vital to the health sector. We all agree on that. A nursing strike will, therefore, have a huge impact on the health service and will affect the majority of patients in hospitals. Services will be affected not only on the day of the strike, but in the days leading up to the strike and afterwards. The Government acknowledges that an overwhelming majority of the membership of these unions voted to go on strike.

I heard some constructive suggestions on Sláintecare on the high cost of agency staff and the issue of permanency. I assure the Dáil that we are sincere in seeking a way to avoid this strike. The mechanisms exist to seek a resolution. The Government is willing to engage with the unions within the confines of the public service stability agreement, PSSA, to which the nursing unions committed in 2017. The PSSA is the deal in place for the entire public sector. The Government gave our commitment to that as did the nursing unions and other trade unions. Under the conditions of that agreement, we cannot make special provision for a pay deal only for the nursing unions.

Health sector management met representatives of the nursing unions yesterday to attempt to seek a solution to this dispute. These and other engagements are the way to seek a resolution. The Government is committed to finding a fair solution that will keep health services running. A meeting with the national oversight body will also take place later this week and health sector management will meet nursing unions again on Monday next week. We all want a resolution.

As already outlined, under the public sector stability agreement, nurses can expect to see significant increases in pay which I very much welcome. In addition the deal for new entrants, including nurses, will mean that nurses and midwives will start seeing the benefit of the deal from March of this year.

I take on board the points made by many Deputies that issues with recruitment and retention still require attention. However, gradual improvements are being made in nursing numbers. The Taoiseach spoke yesterday and gave some figures which are helpful for comparing how far we have come since the recession. The number of nurses employed in the public health service in the past five years increased by 2,330. From November 2017 to November 2018, the number of nurses increased by 860, not including student nurses. The original motion makes the comparison between 2008 and 2018. I do not need to remind Deputies that between these times, this country went through a serious economic downturn.

The Government supports the Public Service Pay Commission’s finding that a general pay increase will not solve recruitment and retention issues overnight. The Public Service Pay Commission made recommendations which would be of direct benefit to the nursing profession, including a 20% increase in local and qualification allowances for nurses, as well as accelerated promotion for nurses to senior staff nurse level. This represents a further investment of €20 million in our nursing workforce. These measures can support nurses in their essential day to day work and can create real opportunities for the profession into the future. Unfortunately, these proposals have been rejected by a vote of the membership of the nursing unions but the Government has encouraged them to reconsider and will continue to do so. I urge all Deputies to support the Government’s counter motion, which recognises that the best way forward to prevent this strike is for all parties to come together and to use the existing industrial relations machinery of the State. It is important that whatever solution is reached lies within the parameters of the public service stability agreement.

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