Private hospitals may be affected by the threatened nurses' strike. Two of the nursing unions have served claims on about 10 hospitals in the State to keep pay and working conditions in line with those in the public sector.
IBEC director Mr Turlough O'Sullivan said yesterday, on behalf of the private hospitals, that the presentation of such claims was "unfair, unreasonable and regrettable". Private hospitals had never been involved in such disputes in the past, had not been party to the negotiations and had no power to influence the Government. His members also had to recoup increases from patients through agencies such as the VHI, he said. It would be impossible to give the unions the sort of assurances they were seeking on pay.
There are over 800 members of the Irish Nurses' Organisation and more than 300 members of the Psychiatric Nurses' Association working in the private healthcare sector.
They have sought confirmation from private hospitals that whatever terms are eventually agreed to resolve the dispute in the public sector will be implemented by them also.
Among the hospitals concerned are St Vincent's, the Mater and Mount Carmel private hospitals in Dublin, the Bon Secours hospitals in Dublin and Cork, and the Galvia in Galway. Psychiatric hospitals where claims have been served by the PNA are St Patrick's, Dublin, and St John of God, Stillorgan, Co Dublin.
If satisfactory responses are not received by the INO and PNA, members in each hospital will be balloted for strike action. The Blackrock Clinic has not been served with a claim. Unlike other private hospitals, its pay structures are different from those in the public sector. In the event of strikes in the private sector, emergency cover will be provided by the nursing unions. Meanwhile, the unions won't be meeting public health service managers to discuss levels of emergency cover until next Thursday. This is to allow both sides to gather the necessary information. Contrary to some reports, no definite decision has yet been taken on a cut-off date for elective admissions to hospitals and this may vary from place to place.
Health management sources said yesterday it would be difficult to reduce the number of hospital patients by more than about 3,000 before the strike deadline of October 19th. At any given time there are between 10,000 and 11,000 patients receiving residential care.
Psychiatric services also face considerable disruption. The general secretary of the PNA, Mr Des Kavanagh, said yesterday that all community-based services would be suspended if the strike goes ahead. Emergency cover would be provided only for people who were suicidal or posed a threat to the community. One positive result of the PNA's action is that it may make it easier to provide adequate emergency cover in psychiatric hospitals than general hospitals. The INO has indicated it will be asking members who normally work in key areas to work four-hour rosters. This would halve normal staffing levels.
While the main nurses' union, the INO, is providing no strike pay to members, all of the other unions are expected to do so. IMPACT will be paying members in benefit £80 a week and SIPTU £60 a week. The relatively small PNA says it can pay between £55 and £60 a week for four weeks and will seek loans, if necessary, after that. The strike ballot is due to conclude by October 11th.
As if to emphasise the gap that separates the two sides, the strike ballot being issued by the INO lists "further recognition for long service in the staff nurse grade" as the first issue on which it will be seeking "significant improvements". The Government has already signalled that this demand is the one that poses the most difficulties in terms of containing pay demands from other public service employees.
The other demands are for "further improvements in the area and application of allowances" and "further advancement in all issues relating to promotional grades".