Cork health workers set to join industrial action over 'pay and numbers' strategy

Healthcare unions have balloted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action, with a Cork representative saying that the HSE “is placing financial controls over the delivery of safe patient care”.

Members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) voted 95.6% in favour of industrial action following a six-week, in-person ballot.

Nurses and midwives were balloted on the non-filling and the delayed-filling of vacant and suppressed posts.

Cork’s Colm Porter, INMO assistant director of industrial relations, told The Echo: “The industrial action is over the pay-and-numbers strategy, which, in our view, is a recruitment embargo by another name.

Vacancies 

“As a result of that, we’re seeing vacancies across the board — in both acute and community settings — that just aren’t being filled.

“We also have the issue that significant numbers of nurses and midwives have gone for posts, been successful in getting those posts, but, due to the new strategy, the jobs they were promised have more or less been removed.”

Mr Porter explained that the union is “very concerned” about the strategy going forward, because if a nurse or midwife leaves their job or retires, their position might not be replaced.

“The HSE is placing financial controls over the delivery of safe patient care,” Mr Porter said.

“Particularly in acute hospitals, there’s evidence to say you need X number of nurses to deliver safe care, according to the acuity of the patient, the ward they’re in, etc. The pay-and-numbers strategy undermines this framework, which is supposed to be in place.”

Overwhelming

Commenting on the result of the ballot, he said: “The overwhelming majority of members have voted in favour of industrial action, which really shows the strength of feeling around this.”

The INMO executive will now meet to consider the outcome of the ballot, before making a decision on what action to take next, he said.

“This shows that whoever is in the next government really needs to have a rethink about staffing and their approach to staffing,” said Mr Porter.

“There has been an overall increase in staffing. I don’t think any of the agencies involved have denied that, but the fact of the matter is that it simply hasn’t kept up with the pace needed.

“The rising population, the acuity of the patients coming in the doors with complex comorbidities: All these issues have placed an increased demand on services, and you can’t just point to an increase in staffing. It’s not reflective of the situation on the ground.”

The decision comes as there were 64 patients on trolleys in Cork on Wednesday, 43 in CUH, 18 in the Mercy, and three in Bantry.

Record number

Though these numbers are below the record number of 97 in CUH seen in September, Mr Porter said: “One patient on a trolley is still too many, so they’re still too high.”

Overall, 15,560 patients have been treated on trolleys in Cork so far in 2024 — 12,007 of them in CUH, which has the second-worst overcrowding record in Ireland this year, behind University Hospital Limerick.

Members of Fórsa trade union working for the HSE and Section 38 voluntary hospitals have also voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action: Their ballot, which was conducted simultaneously with other health unions, was returned with 93.6% in favour.

A HSE spokesperson told The Echo: “The HSE will consider the results of the union ballots in the context of the public-service agreement, once we receive detail on the type of action proposed.

“The HSE engage with all trade unions to resolve issues, and will continue to do so, utilising the industrial relations mechanisms of the State, should it be required.”