12 April 2007 Edition

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Nurses' dispute - Minister must intervene immediately

Sinn Féin Dublin South East representative and general election candidate Cllr. Daithí Doolan addressing a meeting with protesting nurses in St. Vincent’s hospital in Dublin on Wednesday called on the Minister for Health and Children to intervene immediately and directly in the nurses dispute.
Speaking from St. Vincent’s Cllr. Doolan said:
“The Minister for Health must accept the need for a 35 hour working week for nurses and must ensure that this demand is met by health service employers. The overwhelming support for this work to rule by the INO and the PNA has shown the unity of the nurses behind their calls.”
“This dispute has been flagged up in advance for a long time and still the Minister and the health service employers did nothing. Nurses and midwives are at the frontline of our health services delivering care to patients in difficult and trying circumstances. These difficult and trying circumstances are faced by the nurses due to gross mismanagement of the health system by Minister Harney. This mismanagement has culminated in the work to rule by the front line workers in he health system.”
“Minister Harney should intervene immediately to resolve this dispute speedily through the granting of a shorter week and resolving the outstanding pay issues.”

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