Sligo nurses dispute deferred

Strike action at Sligo General Hospital has been postponed after the dispute was referred to the Labour Court today.

The matter was passed on to the Labour Court on the recommendation of the Labour Relations Commission after talks between the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO), Siptu and Health Service Executive (HSE) today ended without resolution being reached.

"The grievances of our members in respect of safe staffing levels in Sligo General remain very clear and we are committed to seeking a resolution to this dispute which ensures the best possible care for patients attending the hospital," said INO industrial relations officer Noel Treanor.

"The HSE have committed to retain all members currently on temporary contracts and not to institute any further changes, pending a recommendation."

Nurses were due to stage a 12.5 hour stoppage on Wednesday amid claims that jobs cuts introduced by the HSE are putting staff under increasing pressure.

Elective procedures scheduled at the hospital were to be postponed.

The INO said 19 nurses at the hospital were either sacked or didn’t have their contracts renewed by the HSE and the union claims current staffing levels are inadequate to provide safe care at the hospital.

On Thursday, nurses at Sligo General staged a 10-hour stoppage over the job cuts.

The HSE said tonight a bypass protocol which was in place since 8pm yesterday has now ended.

Under the protocol, patients arriving by ambulance at Sligo General Hospital were being diverted to other hospitals in the region.

The HSE earlier said that no nurses were provided during last week's stoppage, which was in breach of the national agreement contained in the framework for dispute resolution in the health services.

"The failure of the INO and SIPTU to adhere to agreed procedures to provide emergency cover during last Thursday's one day stoppage in Sligo was unprecedented and resulted in a serious risk to patient safety," said Sheila Smith, hospital manager at Sligo General.

A helpline has been set-up to deal with patient queries on 071 91 711 11. A separate Helpline for maternity patients with clinical concerns is available on 071 91 746 23.