Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On the crisis in the recruitment and retention of nurses, the Minister will be forced to admit at this stage that the Government's recruitment drive has been a dismal failure. Irish nurses working across the globe are sending messages of solidarity to their striking colleagues and encouraging them to stand up for themselves, remain strong and stay out. Irish nurses working abroad will never come home to work in the profession they love because of the poor pay and conditions on offer and gross under-staffing. Newly qualified teachers are getting on the first plane out of this place. The problem of staffing cannot be addressed until the issue of poor pay and conditions is addressed. That is why the Government's recruitment drive has fallen flat on its face and on deaf ears. Nurses are striking for that good reason and the public is behind them. When will the Government get its head out of the sand and deal with the reality that until it addresses the issue of poor pay and conditions, the recruitment and retention crisis is set to continue indefinitely?

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