Siptu calls for talksto stop industrial action by nurses

The Siptu trade union has said it supports demands for improved pay and conditions being made by other nursing unions which are planning industrial action from the end of this week.

However Siptu said yesterday that it was pursuing similar claims for its 8,000 nursing members through benchmarking.

It has advised its nursing members not to carry out duties normally undertaken by nurses in other unions in the event of industrial action.

Siptu vice-president Brendan Hayes called on the parties to talk to avoid the threatened action.

The Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) and the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA), which represent 40,000 nurses and midwives, are seeking to have claims for improved pay and conditions dealt with outside of benchmarking. They say they have no confidence in benchmarking and that other groups have had issues addressed outside it.

The INO and the PNA are seeking a 10 per cent pay claim, the introduction of a 35-hour week and a special allowance for nurses working in Dublin.

They have served a 21-day notice for industrial action on the Health Service Executive (HSE), and this is due to expire on Friday.

The unions have declined to provide details of the timing, nature and extent of any industrial action that may take place after the passing of the deadline on Friday.

The HSE has said this could lead to out-patient appointments and other services in hospitals being cancelled. It said the prospect of "lightning strikes in hospitals is irresponsible".

Mr Hayes called on all parties "to use the time available to explore mechanisms through which this dispute can be avoided, and a lasting solution to the nurses' justified claims can be developed".

He said the key players had to act now and not simply wring their hands while the countdown continued to crisis in the health service.

Siptu was willing to participate in exploratory talks or in any process that would assist in the developing of mechanisms to resolve the dispute.

It is understood there have been no talks between the parties on the substantive issues at the centre of the dispute.

The Government has suggested that a forum could be established to deal with the non-pay elements of the nurses' claims such as the 35-hour week.

However it insists that pay claims can only be dealt with through benchmarking.