Nurses and Midwives at Letterkenny and Sligo to vote on industrial action

Nurses and midwives at Letterkenny and Sligo University Hospitals will be among those members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) who will be balloted for potential industrial action at the start of September.

A week-long pre ballot information campaign for INMO members will commence this Wednesday, August 24 with a view to commence balloting for industrial action on September 1 2022, should Government fail to make a meaningful offer in the meantime and is not one that is being taken lightly, they say.

The INMO says the ballot is taking place as Government have failed to return to protracted negotiations on renegotiating the current public sector pay deal Building Momentum, with a palatable offer on pay.

General Secretary of the INMO Phil Ní Sheaghdha said:

“The decision to ballot nurses and midwives is not one that is taken lightly but the refusal of Government as the employer to act on spiralling cost of living has left us with very little choice.

“Talks have been suspended since June 17 while inflation has reached a high of 9.1%, fuel continues to remain extremely expensive, rents continue to rise and childcare costs equal that of a second mortgage. Nurses and midwives do not get to opt out of these costs or find ways to cut corners as working from home is not an option.

“The current offer on the table will do very little to bridge the gap between the real pay of nurses and midwives and cost of living increases. If we are serious about maintaining and expanding the current nursing and midwifery workforce then as the employer, Government must come forward with a realistic solution.

“Nurses and midwives are facing another difficult winter, the commitment shown since February 2020 when this pandemic hit should of itself have led to a realistic pay offer by Government last June, and it is time to stand together with other public servants and show that this treatment of public servants is simply not acceptable.”