Nurses and midwives will leave country over low pay, union warns
The General Secretary of the INMO said that if nurses and midwives in this country are not paid properly, they will leave to seek better employment elsewhere.
Liam Doran's comments come after the Lansdowne Road Agreement concluded yesterday.
The deal includes €2,000 in pay increases which are expected to happen over three phases between January of next year and September of 2017.
The INMO will ballot their members over the proposals in the coming weeks.
Doran said workers' pay needs to reflect their contribution to society.
"There are many people in this country who still say the minimum wage should be reduced, while they're enjoying very fat profits," he said.
"The time will never be right to give workers a fair crack of the whip.
"If you do not pay nurses, midwives, and other professionals a sufficient amount of money in Ireland, will they stay or will they go? And if they go, where will we get health services?
"Nothing is as black and white as those who would pursue profit at the expense of workers."
