NURSES AT Cork’s second largest hospital are expected to vote in favour of strike action when the results of an Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) ballot that began last night, are released on Friday.
The ballot follows a decision by management at the Mercy University Hospital to cut premium payments to staff in a bid to save money.
The hospital’s 400 INO members began casting their votes in a four-day rolling ballot last night. Nurses will be given the opportunity to vote in favour of possible work stoppages until Friday, when the final result will be revealed.
INO industrial relations officer Michael Dineen said the nature of the ballot required a lengthy time frame in order to allow all nurses to vote.
Nurses will be given the opportunity to vote on the issue during certain periods of the day from now until Friday.
“This is a ballot of all our members at the Mercy University Hospital, that’s 400 members, not all of whom can make it to vote at the same time, so we have staggered the voting options to allow everyone to have their say,” Mr Dineen said.
The INO held a meeting in the Mercy hospital last night, beginning a ballot of its members on all-out withdrawal of labour.
Union officials described the actions of management as being in clear breach of employment law.