Over 1,000 nurses and midwives are expected to rally tomorrow in Dublin in support of a campaign for a 10 per cent pay rise and a shorter working week.
Around 1,200 members of the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) and the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) held a joint rally last June at the Helix theatre over their grievances, some of which date back 26 years. Unions are expecting a bigger turnout tomorrow.
The nurses are seeking a 35-hour week in line with other medical professionals, and they want the correction of an "anomaly" that has led to social care workers getting higher pay, even if unqualified.
Unions claim nurses must work for 21 years before being paid the same as childcare workers who earn €2,000-€3,000 more.
Minister for Health Mary Harney has rejected their claim, saying it would cost the health service €1.5 billion.
The Labour Court earlier this month dismissed eight claims lodged by the unions, saying they should be dealt with through benchmarking.
But the two unions, which represent around 40,000 nurses, are furious at the Health Service Executive's slowness in passing over information requested by the Labour Court after the ruling.