Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

First, I wish to pay tribute to the nurses, particularly those in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny, who have been on the picket line for the past few weeks. It is not an easy place to be. Anybody who has been involved in trade union activities will say that the last place any worker wants to be is out on strike.

To put it in context, in St. Luke's General Hospital in Kilkenny, which serves both counties, the level of overcrowding last year was the second highest on record, according to the INMO. That shows the type of conditions in which nurses and midwives are working. We all know this. It has been stated in many of the debates here. We all know how bad the health service is and how great a crisis there is. People regularly tell stories about there not being enough blankets and pillows, let alone beds, for patients, yet we expect nurses to work in that environment and those conditions every day. They do not get the pay they deserve.

I agree with my colleagues about Members coming to the House to say how fantastic the nurses are. They are. We all agree with that. We all have had personal experience or experience with family members and will say that the standard of care they deliver in difficult circumstances is unbelievable. However, it is not good enough just to say "Well done" and give them a pat on the back for doing great work. It is also not good enough that we wait until a crisis is reached before we acknowledge their work and the role they play.

I also agree with a previous speaker who referred to it being a predominantly female workforce. Time and again we see that it appears to be okay to treat the members of a workforce that is predominantly female as second-class workers. We also see it in the childcare and early years sector and in other areas where the workforce is predominantly women. I wish to point out to people who had an issue with the strike that, in fairness, nurses gave more than the legal requirement for notice. That is how much they put the safety and care of their patients front and centre. They gave three weeks' notice of the strike but one never hears anybody who criticises them acknowledge such issues.

This is quite simple. It is not rocket science or something fantastic. We must acknowledge the work they do with pay, decent terms and conditions and decent working conditions. We should not have people going to work in what are almost Third-World services. I do not like to use that term but the conditions in which we expect nurses, midwives and psychiatric nurses to work are absolutely ridiculous. It should not happen. We should treat them with the respect they deserve and the best way to do that is to put one's money where one's mouth is and give them the pay and conditions they deserve.

On that note, I support our proposed amendment to the motion.

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