Nurses begin series of protests in dispute over pay claim
Hundreds of nurses have mounted a protest outside Cork University Hospital today as part of their ongoing campaign for improved pay and conditions.
The Irish Nurses Organisation and the Psychiatric Nurses Association are seeking a 10% pay increase for their members and a reduction in their working week to 35 hours.
They say the improvements are needed to bring nurses' conditions in line with those of other health professionals.
However, the Labour Court has declined to rule on the claims, saying the nurses should pursue the matter through the benchmarking and social partnership processes.
Today's protest is part of a series of rolling lunchtime stoppages that will involve around 40,000 nurses across the country over the coming weeks.
