Nurses Strike

[blast05]

So nurses want a reduced working week to 35 hours and a 10% increase in pay.
While like everyone else i am sure, there is no doubting the value of the work they do, however:

The myth about the Labour court saying 27 years ago that the nurses working week should be reduced to 35 hours is exactly that, a myth. The Labour court said that if the average working week is reduced to 35 hours, then so should the nurses working week.
Re the pay, the average salary for a nurse is €56,000. I have to say i am shocked at the size of the figure. They are going to get a 10% rise over 27 months under benchmarking, they are looking for an additional 10% in this instance and if their working week were reduced to 35 hours it would effectively mean a further 11.4% increase in their hourly rate.
Get back to work 

[The Real Laoislad]

Nurses deserve every penny they get

[An Gaeilgoir]

Agree with you blast.How much of a sweetner do they receive everytime they have to do something new...look at the debacle in Cork maternity hosp. Back to work with them!

[paddypastit]

A 35 hour week?  I'm sorry but I can't stomach whinging from people that want to work less time for more money and have a state guarantee on their employment.  They should try living in the real world for a change and see how they like it.

[ziggysego]

More power to them. They've got my backing.

[Bogball XV]

Ah sure why don't we give everyone in the country 10% more, feck the inflationary consequences or effect on competitiveness, sure we'll all have more money in our pockets, won't it be great??
The poor nurses only getting 56K p.a. I wonder what jobs exactly they think get more than them?  Maybe they should get out into the big bad world (no. not a night in Coppers) they might well find out the scarcity of these jobs.

[blast05]

Nurses deserve every penny they get

More power to them. They've got my backing.

And so where do yee draw the line - 30 hour week with 20% pay rise ??
As it stands, they are averaging 56K at the moment with 10% benchmarking to come and are also looking for another 10% would leave them on averages of around €67,000 in about 2 years time. Thats nearly 38 euro per hour, or 41 an hour if you don't take annual leave into account

I'm sorry, but thats just f*cking ridiculous,

[Bud Wiser]

I was in Tallaght Hospital yesterday morning and as a result of a meeting with a doctor I had to ring the Oncology nurse, or head of oncology as she is called. The message on her phone said "due to the nurses action I can not take phone calls ....etc.   I bought a newspaper that wasn't The Sun and went down to the canteen to read about Laois hammering Armagh and to consider my options.

On the way back I met said nurse walking down the corridor and I said, "Oh hello Mary Lou (Not her real name of course!) I was ringing your number on the instruction of Dr. Do Little  (could be his real name) and .........."  before I got to finish she replies,
"yes, I can't take calls during the nurses action" and keeps going.  Luck for her I wasn't going to give her a tip for a certain horse that is running next week !

Today I have written to her just to see (if she can't lift the phone as opposed to watching the tape inside it whirring around) ican read!

[Gnevin]

A sure sign of an election in this country is a industrial action by nurses .

[dubnut]

If the government / HSE caves on this one the floodgates are open and benchmarking can be scrapped.

Yes nurses do a dirty job, but they already get bloody well paid for it.
The image portrayed of them would suggest they are living on scraps, my hole. 

[lynchbhoy]

I didnt think the average nurse earns 56K
I presume this would be with overtime and incorporating the shift allowance they get for doing nights etc.

The sister works in tallaght part time (job sharing nurse) and is a physical wreck after a week of nights - it completely fecks up the body clock
the carp they have to endure and the horrific stuff they have to do and see - well it might be a good wage, but I think they earn it.

Having seen the father in law in Intensive care and hospitalised for a number of months after a bad car crash last Sept - well that only re-enforces my opinion (he's been in hospital/hospice/nursing home ever since).

Its a skilled job,
why should they get paid less than a lot of these wet behind the ears 'nothing careers' (marketing/sales/advertising/insurance etc etc etc)

biased as I might be - I think they deserve it.

I just hope that this doesnt escalate until AFTER the election - as I want the status quo to remain in gov - a change WOULD fcuk up the economy and our (my) lifestyle and prosperity.
FG and co have a history of f**king up the economy.

[turk]

I fully support the nurses.

I don't know where this average salary figure is calculated from blast - they start on 31k and work up on slow increments - 40 years service required for full pension.

Meanwhile Harney and her fat TD mates have awarded themselves how many rises in the last few year? And that fuckface Drumm and the big bonus he got last year - what a joke. Harney must be delighted with the nurses strike taking the pressure of the big bag of shite she has made of the health service!!

[blast05]

FG and co have a history of f**king up the economy.

Not really a thread to be starting a political debate on ... BUT ... FF in 1977 for making a balls of the economy. Ultimately it was the lowering of corporation tax (FG) that kicked off the boom. There was so much money over the last 10 years it was impossible to fcuk it up. The challenge for managing the economy starts now.

As a matter of interest, what exactly do you think the nurses are entitled to, i.e.: in terms of pay rise and reduced week ? Is it ok to give them this at the expenses of social partnership, inflation. One certain way to fcuk up the economy is give in to the nurses

I don't know where this average salary figure is calculated from blast

The 56K figure has been mentioned on numerous debates, interviews, etc on radio and TV over the last few days and has never been disputed by any of the nurses representatives

[turk]

Thanks blast

That must be the average then at the half way point in the scale. More luck to them if they get this increased by 10%

[LaurelEye]

A 35 hour week?  I'm sorry but I can't stomach whinging from people that want to work less time for more money and have a state guarantee on their employment.  They should try living in the real world for a change and see how they like it.

I don't have a particularly strong opinion on the pay issue, paddypastit, but do you think that working in an ICU or an A&E isn't "living in the real world"?