Nurses are working under protest at one of the State's main hospitals today to highlight personal safety concerns created by a change in their parking arrangements.
The Irish Nursing Organisation (INO) says the decision by management at Dublin's Mater Hospital to relocate their parking facilities to the overflow area at Dalymount, half a mile away, meant more transport time and poses a threat to the personal safety of nurses working late.
Mr Tony Fitzpatrick, INO industrial relations officer, said nurses, who wore Working Under Protest badges today, were being refused access to the nearby Eccles Street car park by security staff.
However, a spokeswoman for management at the city centre hospital, said: "Unfortunately that car park is so busy that it has become a health and safety issue, there were so many people parking there that we had to cut back on spaces."
The hospital stressed that staff workers across all disciplines and grades were being asked to use the Dalymount car park whenever facilities at Eccles Street become full.
The spokeswoman said extra spaces had earlier been allocated to retain nursing staff but due to safety problems only 400 cars would now be using the Eccles Street facilities.
"It is not just nursing staff, when it is full, it is a first-come first-served basis, it is not reserved for anyone," she added.
Management said the overflow car park, which has 150 places, has been used for the past three years without incident. The spokeswoman added that security was an issue for everyone working in Dublin.
The INO say the move breached the terms of the Sustaining Progress pay agreement because management failed to consult the union about the changes.
Mr Fitzpatrick said: "This illogical decision is resulting in great inconvenience and distress to nursing staff who now have to walk a long distance after a late shift and don't feel secure."
He said the union would be seeking an emergency meeting with the hospital chief executive within the next three days and warned that the recruitment and staff retention difficulties at the hospital could be exacerbated by the issue.
Additional reporting PA