THE Minister for Health, Mr Noonan, says he will seriously consider a call by a leading trade unionist to set up a special commission on nurses grievances over pay and working conditions.
The general secretary of SIPTU, Mr Billy Attley, yesterday called on Mr Noonan, to "immediately re engage in the nursing debate and meet with the Nursing Alliance to agree terms of reference for such a commission". Mr Attley said that the commission should make recommendations "within a reasonable time frame".
Mr Attley's intervention is understood to have been taken after consultations with nursing union leaders, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the Government, through the Secretary of the Department of the Taoiseach Mr Paddy Teahon. Mr Teahon is also chairing union employer talks on a national agreement.
The commission proposal could offer a way of avoiding the threatened national nurses' strike next month. At the very least, proposals from the commission might provide the basis for a better relationship between the Government and nurses in the event of the strike going ahead.
Mr Noonan gave a cautious welcome to Mr Attley's initiative, although he had not had a chance to study it in detail. It would have to be considered initially in the context of ongoing talks on a new national agreement which might include public service pay reviews.
In what appeared a hint that the nurses' grievances might be looked at more favourably by the Government, if other unions were willing ready to see some aspects looked at outside the terms of national agreements, Mr Noonan added: "Any initiative from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions which would help resolve the current situation would be seriously considered".
The deputy general secretary of the Irish Nurses Organisation, Mr Liam Doran, welcomed Mr Attley's initiative. But he also said that there was no question of deferring the INO strike ballot, which starts on Monday. He said a commission was needed to look after the nurses long term interests, while a short term solution to the pay dispute was needed to avert a strike.