Nursing and midwifery contract talks conclude without agreement
SIPTU Health Division representatives have tonight (Sunday, 10th March) confirmed that talks, under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), on an enhanced nursing and midwifery contract, have concluded without agreement.
SIPTU Health Divisional Organiser, Paul Bell said: “Throughout the talks, management represented by the Health Service Executive, Department of Health and Department of Public Expenditure and Reform continued to maintain their position on fundamental issues concerning our members’ hours of work, rosters, redeployment, work location and assimilation to the new enhanced pay scale. All of these areas are of fundamental concern to SIPTU and our Nursing and Midwifery members.”
“SIPTU negotiators informed management, that their objectives in all of these key areas, all of which fundamentally undermine the terms and conditions of Nurses & Midwives, are firmly and unequivocally rejected and that the proposals are not fit for purpose.”
He added: “SIPTU representatives also confirmed that any management proposals aimed at deteriorating the terms and conditions of Nurses and Midwives will be firmly resisted by our National Nursing and Midwifery Sector Committee.”
SIPTU Nursing Sector Organiser, Kevin Figgis said: “It is our assessment that the totality of the proposals either provide little or no benefit for some Nursing and Midwifery grades and destabilise the entire concept of a workplace location and a structured rostered day.”
He added: “As there are no further talks scheduled, SIPTU Nursing and Midwifery Sector will meet this week for the purpose of agreeing on a communication strategy and secret ballot to allow SIPTU Nurse and Midwifery members have the final say on these proposals.”
