Hopes of a breakthrough in talks to end the nurses' strike rose last night. Proposals were being considered to introduce a new senior staff nurse grade with additional responsibilities.
Progress has also been reported on other issues and the dispute may be referred back to the Labour Court as early as today. This would reduce pressure from nurses, now beginning their seventh day on strike, to withdraw emergency cover from some areas. Many of them are angry at the length of the negotiations.
Entering the talks at Government Buildings yesterday, SIPTU negotiator Ms Mary Durkin said her members were "quite irate at how slow the whole thing is. They are providing 24 hour cover", she said. "There is a lot of stress and they are saying. `We'll have to have an ultimatum of 48 hours', and after that they're willing to walk off".
Sanction for such a reduction would be very unlikely, but Ms Durkin's remarks underline the growing mood on the picket lines.
Meanwhile, doctors at five of Dublin's major hospitals have expressed "grave clinical concern" about patients whose treatments have been deferred.
While these patients did not strictly meet emergency criteria, they had conditions - such as suspected cancers - which, if not diagnosed and treated rapidly, could deteriorate greatly with serious consequences, the joint statement from Tallaght, Beaumont, the Mater, St James's and St Vincent's said.
The general secretary of the Psychiatric Nurses Association, Mr Des Kavanagh, said the Nursing Alliance was "going to have huge pressure for escalation", if the current talks do not succeed.
However, he added that he was approaching the talks "in a positive manner. We are doing our best to resolve the dispute. We are committed."
The chairman of the Nursing Alliance, Mr Liam Doran, said "The next few hours will be critical". He was still hopeful that the differences dividing the two sides could be resolved.
On the call from some nurses for withdrawal of emergency cover, he said "if we do the business here", it would not be necessary. "They haven't let us down and we won't let them down."
It is understood the most intractable issue has been recognition for long service amongst staff nurses, who comprise 80 per cent of the workforce. Progress had been made earlier in discussions on other issues, such as career structures, allowances, a new overtime rate for nurses working between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., reporting procedures for directors of nursing and allowances.
When the Nursing Alliance entered the talks process, which are chaired by Mr Kevin Duffy, they indicated they were dropping the demand for the long service increment, which would lead to automatic knock-on claims from other public service workers. They also undertook to take cognisance of the Government's need to keep within the parameters of social partnership.
The alliance, in turn, was assured that the aspirations of staff nurses could be addressed in another format. So far it has not proved possible to agree on one. Proposals by the alliance to replace service increments with recognition for long service have been regarded by management negotiators as simply a change of name.
The problem was not resolved in 22 hours of talks ending on Saturday at 8.30 a.m., or in discussions between the alliance leaders and senior officials of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions involved in the talks, including the ICTU assistant general secretary, Mr Tom Wall, and its equality officer, Ms Joan Carmichael.