THE Minister for Health, Mr Noonan, has invited the nursing unions to meet him on Tuesday to discuss the implications of their impending strike.
He issued the invitation yesterday evening as returns from the ballot of Impact nurses showed they had voted by more than nine to one for industrial action.
The main union, the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO), has already voted by more than 30 to one for strike action. SIPTU nurses, who accepted the last offer of £50 million from the Government, are currently balloting on supportive action for the INO in the event of a strike.
Last night nursing leaders welcomed the invitation to meet the Minister, but there was little optimism on either side that talks could avert a strike. While every effort will be made to reach agreement, there seems to be a growing acceptance that the Government is unlikely to improve its offer before industrial action begins.
Official thinking seems to be that there is little point in offering concessions when significant improvements in previous offers were rejected so overwhelmingly.
Meanwhile, the INO continued its series of meetings with others organisations that will be affected if the strike goes ahead on February 10th. It described talks yesterday with the Irish Matrons Association (most of whose members are also in the INO) as very constructive.
The INO is to meet the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) today. Earlier this week there was an angry exchange between the two bodies over how emergency cases should be decided, and by whom.
However, the issue presented no problems when the INO met the other representative body for doctors, the Irish Medical Organisation, on Thursday. The INO is optimistic it can resolve any problems with the IHCA today.
Yesterday the INO justified its claim to seek a new maximum of £22,200 to the staff nurse scale (the current offer is £20,350), on the basis that nurses are among the lowest paid health professionals.