Members of the Irish Nurses' Organisation (INO) at the James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown in Dublin began a work-to-rule this morning over pay for on-call night duty.
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Nurses in Blanchardstown begin work-to-rule for increase in on-call payments.
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The action is being taken by INO members in the Theatre Department of the hospital who have been seeking an increase in the on-call payments since March.
INO industrial relations officer Ms Mary Fogarty told ireland.comnon-emergency surgery was being cut at the hospital because of the action.
Ms Fogarty said management at the hospital had failed to engage it members on the claim and that nurses are no longer willing to provide this level of service for €17 per night. She said nurses at Loughlinstown Hospital were being paid €34 an hour for the same service.
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Fine Gael today criticised the Government for allowing what it said was the same battle to be fought out in individual hospitals across the country.
Party health spokeswoman Ms Olivia Mitchell said the INO’s claim for theatre nurses is "a national problem and should be negotiated and dealt with nationally".
She said: "Individual hospitals are not in a position to negotiate pay awards, so in each hospital the problem is allowed to fester until it deteriorates into industrial relations action. James Connolly Memorial Hospital is just the latest victim of this inertia".
