Talks between unions and health service management aimed at resolving the ongoing dispute involving more than 40,000 nurses adjourned late last night and are due to resume again this morning.
The second day of face-to-face talks between the Irish Nurses' Organisation (INO), the Psychiatric Nurses' Association (PNA) and management began at 2pm yesterday, three hours later than planned.
This was for two reasons. Firstly, the INO sought the lifting of a threat by Dublin's St Vincent's hospital to take some of the nurses there who are full-time on the local strike committee off the payroll if they did not return immediately to their duties.
Secondly, management sought extra time to consider a document tabled by the unions on how nurses' working hours could be reduced. Liam Doran, general secretary of the INO, said it was finally agreed that nothing would happen at St Vincent's in terms of removing people from the payroll for 48 hours so that talks could take place at the hospital between union officials and hospital management.
A spokesman for St Vincent's said last night those talks at the hospital, which began yesterday, would resume today at noon.
The hospital had also said it would seek a High Court injunction if shop stewards continued to meet with staff in clinical and patient care areas.
This issue and the refusal by nurses in the hospital to answer phones in several key areas during their work-to-rule which is in its fourth week are also on the agenda for the St Vincent's talks.
Nurses rejected the suggestion that union business was being conducted in front of patients.
But Minister for Health Mary Harney said she supported the hospital's stance. "I very strongly support what the hospital authorities have tried to do here. Patients have to be put first and if patient care is being jeopardised that's not good enough . . . and we've been told all along in this dispute that patients wouldn't be put at risk.
"The most serious risk that occurred since the disruptive action began was at St Vincent's hospital when we had a very near miss.
"We all know that and therefore the onus is on the hospital to ensure that their hospital functions appropriately as far as patients are concerned," she said.
Asked about the face-to-face talks between unions and health service employers at Government Buildings, under the auspices of the National Implementation Body - the main troubleshooting mechanism of the partnership process - Ms Harney said she hoped agreement between the sides could be reached.
The nurses are seeking a 10.6 per cent pay rise and a 35-hour working week. At present they work a 39-hour week.
Work stoppages by the nurses have been called off during the talks but the nurses are continuing with industrial action in the form of a work-to-rule, during which they are refusing to deal with non-essential phone calls or to carry out clerical or IT duties.
Mr Doran said most of yesterday's negotiations centred around the claim for a 35-hour week. He said the unions produced a document which stated that hours could be reduced in the context of reform and increased productivity and management had responded very positively to it.
"But a date has not yet been put forward by the employers for a 35-hour week," he added.
Des Kavanagh, general secretary of the PNA, said the unions would be reporting back to the INO executive and PNA officer board this afternoon and a decision would be made on whether the talks should continue.