Nurses at St Vincent’s Hospital, Dublin are to begin industrial action next week in a dispute over reductions in the number of staff working night shifts.
According to the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO), nursing support staff have been removed from the night shift in St Clare’s Ward, creating a risk to patient and staff safety. This has resulted in a 33 per cent reduction in the number of staff working on that shift.
The INO wants nursing support restored to the shift immediately. If the issue is not resolved by Tuesday August 20th, a lunch-time protest will be followed by an indefinite work-to-rule.
An INO spokesman said part of the anger from members in the hospital stemmed from fears that this was a "test case" by management in trying to introduce unilateral staffing changes.
No spokesperson for St Vincent’s Hospital was available.
