Nurses picketing the hospitals in the Midlands were divided yesterday on whether or not there will be a resolution to the strike.
Much will depend on the structures drawn up for staff nurses who have been the backbone of the action. A straw poll of more than 20 nurses who are on strike found that eight wanted to continue the dispute until after the deal has been voted on by Nursing Alliance members.
Seven believed that a Labour Court recommendation which would reward the staff nurses could bring an immediate end to the dispute.
However, the remaining five younger nurses, were anxious to get back to work immediately because they feared the backlog of work which has built up will create major problems in the months ahead.
The Midland Health Board said yesterday that the number of acute beds which are now vacant in the three Midland hospitals rose again yesterday.
Currently there are 88 vacant beds in Portlaoise, 47 in Tullamore and 57 in the Longford/Westmeath hospital in Mullingar. This represents more than half the acute beds servicing the population of nearly 250,000 people.
A representative said that the accident and emergency units reported very few patients over the day, a pattern that had emerged during the strike.