Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies on behalf of myself and the Minister, Deputy Harris, for tabling the motion on this important issue. It is good to have an opportunity to debate the concerns Deputies have around this dispute. The Government welcomes the recent development in the dispute in the recommendations from the Labour Court. Listening to some of the speakers, I noted how passionately they spoke about this serious issue. I do not believe there is one person in this House and building who does not have respect for the dedication of the men and women who are in our hospitals and dealing with sick people on a daily basis.

I am sorry that Deputy Mattie McGrath has left the Chamber because he mentioned that he visited the hole in the ground in St. James's Hospital where the new national children's hospital will be erected in the coming years.

This is a new beginning for sick children, as well as for their parents and families who have been forced to sleep on chairs when they are attending hospital. Many of them have spent months and even years comforting their children in this way. It will also be a new beginning for the nurses and staff who will work in the positive environment of the new national children’s hospital. Many public representatives on all sides of the House will be delighted to stand behind the ribbon when it is cut for the opening of the hospital. We must continue on our journey to build a children’s hospital to the best international standards.

I appreciate that nurses and midwives did not take the decision to engage in recent industrial action lightly . I know from meeting many of them that they prefer to be in work than on the picket line. I value the contribution they continue to make to the health service every day. The Government has always maintained that the existing State industrial relations mechanisms were there to help reach a resolution. It is happy that a solution has been found through those mechanisms.

This dispute caused significant disruption to our health services. The HSE is working through any backlog relating to appointments. Work has already begun in rescheduling appointments affected by this dispute. I thank the HSE and its staff for their execution and maintenance of contingency plans throughout this dispute. I also thank the members of the INMO and the PNA for their assistance in facilitating and enabling these plans. It is sincerely appreciated by the Government.

By intervening, the Labour Court recognised the grave and extensive implications of the dispute. I welcome the initiative shown by the Labour Court in helping to avoid further disruption to patients. Additional disruption this week would have further compounded the impact of the industrial action that took place last week and would have made the task to reschedule appointments in a timely manner more difficult. For that, the Government sincerely appreciates this intervention.

The Government and the two nursing unions signed up to a three-year public service pay agreement which commits to significant increases in pay by 2020. Nurses and midwives can expect to see their deserved share of these increases beginning this year. Through this agreement, financial emergency measures in the public interest, FEMPI, pay reductions for pay levels up to €50,000, which include a large proportion of the nursing and midwifery profession, will be fully unwound by the end of 2019. The issues of recruitment and retention in our health service are taken seriously. We fully accept the reality that the numbers of highly qualified nursing, midwifery and medical professionals leaving the country is an issue. This is why the Government engaged the Public Service Pay Commission to look at roles in the public sector where recruitment and retention had been identified as issues. Nursing and midwifery was among the first of the professions investigated by the independent commission.

In addition to the benefits nurses and midwives can expect to receive from the unwinding of pay restrictions under the public service stability agreement and the correction of salary scale issues for post-2011 new entrants, the Government has agreed to the commission’s recommendations of a 20% increase in local and qualification allowances for nurses, as well as accelerated promotion for staff nurses to the senior staff nurse level. This change would represent a further investment of €20 million in our nursing workforce. We are confident these measures can support nurses and midwives in their essential day-to-day work, along with paving the way for growth, progression, and development in their profession.

Monday’s Labour Court recommendation build on the findings of the Public Service Pay Commission. The recommendations are also grounded in the reality of what is achievable within the public service pay agreement. They also meet the three principles the Government wanted to achieve in any solution to this dispute, namely, a deal that is fair to taxpayers, fair to public servants and fair to nurses. While these recommendations remain to be accepted by the INMO, I am confident the recommendations offer an opportunity to fully address those concerns expressed by nurses and midwives. They offer a clear path to an enhanced nurse practice salary scale. The recommendations also specify productivity and service improvements which will be to the benefit of both nurses and patients.

The Government’s work to improve our health service for patients and employees does not end with the Labour Court recommendations, it continues. There will be more work to do to ensure those recommendations achieve what they set out to achieve for all sides. For nurses and midwives, the recommendations herald the beginning of a transformation process of the nursing profession. This will be continued in future public sector pay agreements. For our health service, those recommendations also signal a change in how our hospitals and community services are more effectively staffed. This is good news for patients.

Turning to the issue of recognition also raised in the motion, while individuals have a right to membership of any trade union, they do not have a right that such membership is facilitated or recognised by their employer. While it is regrettable the PNA has decided to take industrial action, it is not possible to negotiate with a union which is not recognised as having negotiating rights for ambulance grades.

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