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16 January 1997 Edition

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Workers in struggle: Noonan's double standards

Nurses must have their rights recognised



     
Since 1980, when nurses had their last pay review, we have consistently been told that we had to wait until times were better
Fine Gael Health Minister Michael Noonan is fast becoming the most controversial member of the coalition. His dealings with the controversies over the actions of the Blood Transfusions and Supply Board, the VHI/BUPA debacle, the Hepatitis C and HIV controversies have monopolised headlines over the past year.

Some of these crises were not of Noonan's making. However, his words and actions have dug his department and coalition into greater crisis. Already he has had to formally apologise to Hepatitis C victims over one Leinster House speech.

Now Michael Noonan has shown not only gross insensitivity to nurses in the 26 counties, who last week voted by 97% in favour of industrial action starting on 10 February,.but also deliberately misrepresented the cost of their £50 million plus wage claim.

£150 million was the price Noonan put on the pay and conditions package that the nurses were demanding. However, on closer examination it transpires that £150 million was not the actual cost of the package but that Michael Noonan had casually added £100 million onto the previous £50 million package.

The £100 million came from what a government minister later admitted was ``consequential effects'' of other groups in the public service making wage claims themselves. No one in the coalition government came forward to say who these other workers were.

Lenore Mrkwicka, Assistant General Secretary of the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO), described the Minster's ``sleight of hand'' as ``a gross disservice to the country's dedicated nurses''.

Ms Mrwicka pointed out that when the current negotiations began in September 1994, management gave an ``absolute assurance'' that the impact of a review in nurses' pay and conditions on other hospital workers would not be ``a barrier to progress''.

Once again nurses are being used as pawns in the Dublin Government's overall public service pay strategy, claimed Mrwicka. She said, ``since 1980, when nurses had their last pay review, we have been consistently told that we had to wait until times were better. Since then, we have had massive increases in productivity for which we have not been compensated. Now the economy is booming and the Government has a budget surplus, yet the time is still not right for nurses to be paid properly''.

The other issues such as the proposed introduction of `yellow pack' nurses and the failure to secure an adequate retirement package have been overshadowed by Noonan's creative accounting campaign.

Also forgotten are other aspects of Noonan's double standards when it comes to the health service. Last December's Buckley Review on Hospital Consultant's Pay proposed wage increases of between £6,000 and £13,000 for consultants. Their current wage scale runs from £50,000 to £60,000 annually. This doesn't include their earnings from private sector work which nets many consultants extra annual six figure salaries. The current top of scale salary for a staff nurse is £17,747.

Michael Noonan was strangely silent on the knock-on effects of the proposed rise for hospital consultants on public service pay. Michael Noonan also chose not to mention the as yet undisclosed wage that will be paid to Denis Doherty, currently chief executive of the Midland and Midwestern Health Boards.

According to the Dublin media. Doherty rejected a ``sizeable offer'' for the job of VHI chief executive because he has been offered a six figure sum by the Department of Health to take up a post as management development executive for the whole of the health board system.

It seems that Michael Noonan has two approaches to pay in the health sector - one law for the lowest paid and more cosy arrangements for the fat cats. Faced with a hospital shutdown on 10 February he might have to reconsider his wage double standards.

Dukes silent on CIE crisis


Where is Alan Dukes, the new Minister for Transport? Crisis looms yet again at CIE as unions gear up again to combat management's flawed rationalisation plans in each of the three subsidiary companies. Dukes has been silent so far on the problems at the state transport company.

The plans involving cost cuts of £44 million will mean redundancies and wage cuts for CIE workers. Workers are also being coerced by management who are using the opening up to competition of passenger services on road and rail networks as a threat to workers.

Alan Dukes has a crucial role to play here. As a new Minister he could take the positive step of asking management to reformulate their strategies in a more positive environment where unions could make a substantial input.

Unions have been told that the current plans are non-negotiable. Alan Dukes has a chance to learn from the mistakes of Michael Lowry and ditch the rationalisation programme.

Partnership 2000 vote


Despite the hype over the publication of the tentative new Partnership 2000 union-employers wage agreement this week, reaction among the ICTU's constituent unions have been far from positive.

MANDATE has recommended a rejection of the deal as have the Association of Secondary School Teachers in Ireland (ASTI), the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO), The Technical and Electrical Engineering Union (TEEU), The National Union Of Journalists (NUJ) and the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union (ATGWU).

Unions across the state are to ballot members in what could be the closest four in the last four wage deals.

Korean Strike


Over 200,000 workers entered their third week on strike last Monday. The strikers - members of outlawed trade unions - are protesting about new labour laws which make it easier for Korean firms to extend working hours, sack workers and replace them with scabs. The law was forced through in a secret dawn parliament session with no opposition parties present. Could this be the shape of things to come?

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