Government must set date for 35-hour working week to end nurses’ dispute
Green Party Health spokesperson John Gormley TD has called on the Government to set a date for the introduction of a 35-hour working work for nurses, before an all-out strike occurs.
Deputy Gormley said: “We now have seven days in which the Government and the HSE can de-escalate this dispute. This could be resolved by giving the nurses’ representative bodies a date for the introduction of a 35-hour week. If this was done any outstanding problems in relation to pay increases under benchmarking could be quickly resolved.
“The nurses have indicated that they are more than willing to be flexible and they do not want this dispute to escalate into full-scale industrial action. It is regrettable that their expectations of flexibility from the Government and HSE, was not fulfilled.
“In a letter to the INO the Taoiseach indicated that the Government was prepared to engage fully and with an open mind with the nurses’ representatives. Regrettably this did not happen. Instead any attempt to get a date for the introduction of a 35-hour week was resolutely refused.
“The Green Party believes that the nurses and their unions have legitimate grievances and the Government must face up to these by setting a date for the introduction of a 35-hour working week to bring this dispute to an end.”