AGREEMENT HAS not yet been reached at local level to facilitate a reduction in the working hours of about 25,000 nurses as planned from next month.
Under a deal which ended a lengthy dispute last year, health service management agreed to introduced a 37.5-hour week for nurses from the beginning of June on the basis that this would be achieved at local level on a cost-neutral basis and without a diminution of services.
At a meeting with the health service management, chaired by Minister for Health Mary Harney, yesterday unions were told that agreement had been reached at local level to allow for a reduction in hours for about 10,000 nurses.
However, no deal has been reached at local level as yet to facilitate the introduction of a 37.5-hour week for more than 25,000 other nursing staff.
It is understood Ms Harney is to bring management and union representatives from locations where agreements have not been reached to Dublin next week in a bid to secure a deal on reducing the working hours.
The general secretary of the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO), Liam Doran, said last night that discussions were almost complete on local deals to reduce the hours for an additional 14,000 nursing staff.
Mr Doran said that agreement had been reached with management in most of the main Dublin general hospitals such as the Mater, St James’s, Beaumont and Connolly to introduce the reduced hours.
He said agreement had also been reached at the Mercy and South Infirmary in Cork.
It is understood there have been difficulties in reaching agreements on reducing hours in the psychiatric sector.