INO to finalise details of industrial action
Public health nurses are meeting today to decide their strategy for industrial action.
About 93% of the 1,550 public health nurse members of the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) voted in favour of industrial action after the publication of two Government sponsored reports.
The Commission on Nurses report recommended that public health nurses work at the same level as clinical nurse specialists.
However, this observation was subsequently ignored by the public services Benchmarking Body, which recommended wage levels for public health nurses at 3% lower than clinical nurse specialists.
Public health nurses, who take six years to attain three distinct nursing qualifications, argue they should be on the same pay as clinical nurse specialists.
An Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) spokesman said that the nurses are likely to decide on work-to-rule action at their meeting today.
He said the meeting's agenda will be concerned with the timing and format of the action, which is likely to concentrate on the administration side of business and not directly interfere with patients or clinical care.
