Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is important to note that the Government, which only a week or so ago stated it would not discuss pay with the nursing trade unions, has been forced into a significant climbdown. The reality is that it had no other choice when it was facing the prospect of a three-day strike in a health service already in crisis and the tremendous militancy of nurses on the picket lines, as evidence by the massive demonstration last Saturday which was organised in four days. The response was incredible. Up to 45,000 nurses and others took to the streets. I note that RTÉ downplayed the scale of the demonstration, stating that tens of thousands were in attendance when, surely, there were far more. There was widespread public support for the nurses.

The executive of the INMO believes it made progress in the Labour Court talks. However, there could be opposition among nurses to the proposals when they are balloted. The deal is somewhat complex - I am neither a nurse nor a midwife and do not understand life on the wards or in an accident and emergency department - but it seems the average pay increase will be in the region of €1,200 to €2,500 per year, which is far short of the nurses' equal pay claim of €€7,000 per year. The deal contains a clause to revisit the issue next year and that may be sufficient to persuade nurses to accept it. I understand negotiations are ongoing.

Will the Labour Court recommendation meaningfully resolve the recruitment and retention crisis? It may be that many nurses, disappointed by the Government response to their situation, will decide enough is enough and move abroad. Will it be enough to encourage the nurses living abroad who stood in solidarity with the pickets to come home? Will it resolve the dire safety issues for patients and nurses in our hospitals? I do not know the answer to those questions. However, nurses and midwives will go through the recommendation with a fine tooth comb and I will fully support whatever decision they make.

It is symptomatic of the mess in the health service that the Government raised such a hue and cry about the €35 million cost of these proposals while €114 million is paid to agency nurse and midwife staff and €53 million paid to agency psychiatric nursing staff. It is important to note that the PNA is still in negotiations pending the Labour Court reconvening on Friday.

The House should note that there will be a strike this Friday by up to 500 ambulance staff represented by the National Ambulance Service Representative Association, a branch of the PNA, which is taking action in pursuit of a claim for union recognition. The stance of the HSE, the Department and the Minister on that issue makes a mockery of a person's right to join and be represented by a union of his or her choice. The positions of SIPTU and Fórsa which are blocking these workers' rights to be represented by the NASRA is deeply regrettable. I refer to a letter sent today by Mr. Peter Hughes, general secretary of the PNA, to all Deputies, in which he states, "the HSE ignored the clear indication from Minister for Health, Simon Harris in the Dail that he wanted this issue dealt with by negotiation rather than confrontation." Again, there is confrontation. He explains, "The HSE ignored two invitations to the WRC to work to a resolution, and refused to enter talks with PNA to agree contingencies for providing essential ambulance cover during the strike."

He goes on to say:

I would therefore appeal to you as on Oireachtas member to demand that the HSE, even at this late stage, engage through the WRC to resolve this unnecessary dispute that has been forced on frontline ambulance personnel.

The Minister should accept the invitation of the WRC and instruct the HSE to enter these negotiations, as the PNA has agreed to do.

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