Spouses of Filipino nurses working in Irish hospitals may be offered work permits next year by the Government in an attempt to ensure that the nurses do not quit for jobs in the United Kingdom and the United States.
The 5,000 highly skilled nurses, who are employed on contracts by the health boards, play a vital role in keeping hospitals operating, the Irish Nurses' Organisation has long argued.
Under work permit rules, however, the spouses of such nurses are not able to work in Ireland, which has ensured that most of them have remained in the Philippines with other members of their families.
Speaking in Dublin yesterday, the Tánaiste said she was giving "serious consideration" to easing the work-permit rules for the spouses of nurses and other highly skilled workers.
"I think it is only fair and reasonable that we should give serious consideration to allowing their families to join them," said Ms Harney.
The INO has predicted that some 500 Filipino nurses will leave over each of the next three years unless their spouses can work here. The INO industrial relations officer, Ms Mary Fogarty, said the loss of the nurses would have a devastating effect on patients and force hospitals to close down a significant number of wards.
Meanwhile, the Tánaiste rejected a call on the Government by the former US congressman, Mr Bruce Morrison, to introduce a "green card" system similar to that used in the US.
"If there aren't jobs here for particular categories of workers, I don't think it would be acceptable to have people literally on the dole," she said.
The change would mean an end to the current system where the work permits are granted to employers, rather than individuals, which has left some of them open to exploitation, trade unions argue. The current system, which is handling nearly 50,000 applications a year, will change significantly from May 1st next when 10 new countries join the EU.
Citizens from these countries take up 40 per cent of the permits. "We hope that, with the exception of high-skill labour, nurses and maybe ethnic groups required for ethnic restaurants, all our immigration needs for the foreseeable future will be met from the new countries that come into the EU," she said.
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