Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As has been said, it is only the second time in their history that nurses have taken this course of action. I welcome the decision of the nursing unions to suspend their strike this week, following the intervention of the Labour Court. The court's recommendations make progress across all areas of concern to the nursing unions, including the key areas of safe staffing and addressing recruitment and retention problems. There is no doubt in my mind that the chaos within the HSE is making working conditions for those working at the coalface difficult. The stress and pressure that they are working under would not be accepted in any other industry. While we are grateful that a solution has been put forward in this case, there must be a root and branch change in the day-to-day working conditions in our hospitals and other medical facilities. To operate continuously in a crisis situation will not have the patient outcome that we all require. It is impossible for staff of all kinds within the system to work at their most productive when they are plugging leaks all day every day. When this particular crisis is over, therefore, the management style of the HSE must change. Instead of selling people on the ideas of the state-of-the-art, 21st century medical system, they must begin at the bottom and make the health service user-friendly, efficient for patients and a safe and productive place in which to work.

I also concur with my colleague, Deputy Brassil, that every effort should be made to prevent ambulance personnel being forced to go out on strike as well. This would also cause great disruption to the health service and should be avoided. Their request of union recognition is fair and reasonable.

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