Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe has said he does not expect nurses to strike if their pay demands are not met.
Nurses have given the Government a one-month deadline to produce a “serious pay offer”.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) hinted at potential industrial action if the Government fails to table new pay proposals on foot of the forthcoming report of the Public Service Pay Commission into recruitment and retention difficulties in the health service.
The union said delegates at a special delegate conference it is planning to hold in late September “will be left to consider alternative means to pursue their claims,” if the Government did not put forward new pay proposals.
INMO President Martina Harkin-Kelly said if the Government did not make a serious offer by September 26th, the 300 delegates at its special conference would face a stark choice.
When asked if he thought industrial action may be taken by nurses if their pay demands are not met, he said: “I believe that all those I am engaging with are committed to maintaining industrial stability within our country. I am committed to honouring that agreement that I have given,” he said.
He said as part of that agreement, there were processes in place in relation to issues such as new entrant pay.
“We have a Pay Commission that is currently completing an inquiry in relation to health recruitment and retention and that is the only framework for dealing with these issues,” he said. “We have a significant public service pay plan in place now in the public service stability agreement and that is what I intend to honour.”
The Public Service Pay Commission is expected to provide the Government with a review of retention and recruitment issues facing the health service in the days ahead.
This is then likely to form the basis of negotiations to run over four weeks.
