Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am pretty certain that if I asked the members of the Government what the weather was like last Thursday, most of them would not be able to tell me. I guarantee them that if one asked the nurses what the weather was like last Thursday, they could tell one exactly. It was a cold, wet day. It shows the character, strength and resilience of our nurses that they stood strong last Thursday despite the weather and fought for their rights and for patient safety. Last Thursday, I spoke to nurses picketing in Bandon, Dunmanway, Kinsale, Clonakilty, Schull, Skibbereen and Castletownbere, and at Bantry General Hospital. It was important for me to meet them face to face and show them I was committed to supporting them. The Government was not committed to doing so. Last week, the Government would do nothing for the nurses. When there was a protest last weekend, by God the Minister jumped off the table quickly and realised he had to do something for them. The whole country told the Government it is a disgrace that, up to now, the nurse and midwife professions have remained the lowest-paid graduate professions in the healthcare system.

It saddens me to read stories about how a young Meath nurse named Gabrielle Cooney McGuire left her job because she was burnt out and had her heart broken by the job she once loved. The mother of two said on social media, "I was the nurse who cried the whole way home after giving a patient the best care I could - but not the care he deserved." This lady sums up exactly what all the nurses have been fighting for. When one talks to any nurse, one of the first things she or he is concerned about is the patient. That is what I found on the line in west Cork last week. Outside each of the hospitals, it was the patients whom the nurses were worried about, not anybody else. The strike was not solely about pay. Even though pay restoration is important, the nurses want to be able to care for their patients in the best and safest way possible. All nurses deserve this.

It was reported this morning that the INMO will face an uphill struggle to convince its members to accept the Labour Court's pay recommendation. There is a risk that nurses could soon be returning to the picket line if this is the case. I will stand 100% behind them. Let us not forget that there is planned strike action by over 500 members of the ambulance personnel branch of the PNA. The strike is due to take place this Friday. These ambulance members already carried out a one-day strike in January and now have no choice but to strike again. The HSE has refused to afford these personnel the right to be represented by the trade union of their choice. The Government needs to engage with them because their requests are reasonable. If, however, it refuses to engage, there will be further strikes later in the month and also in March.

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