Irish Nurses Back Strike Action by More Than 99% as Pay Dispute Escalates
Dublin: More than 99 per cent of voting members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) have backed industrial action, including strike action, as a dispute over pay, staffing levels and working conditions in Ireland’s health service intensifies.
The overwhelming vote gives the INMO a mandate to take industrial action amid growing concerns that nurses and midwives are facing increasing workloads without pay increases that reflect the rising cost of living.
The decision follows a formal notice from Fórsa, which represents thousands of other public service and healthcare workers, that industrial action is due to begin on September 30.
Pay dispute at the centre of action
The main issue behind the planned industrial action is the failure of public service pay to keep pace with the cost of living.
The previous public service pay agreement expired on June 30, but formal negotiations on a new agreement have yet to begin. Unions are demanding meaningful pay increases to compensate workers for the erosion of their earnings caused by inflation.
The INMO has also highlighted persistent overcrowding in hospitals, staff shortages, unfilled vacancies and the failure to adequately replace employees on maternity leave.
The union says these pressures have contributed to workloads reaching unsafe levels, placing additional strain on nurses and midwives.
INMO warns against relying on staff goodwill
INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said the health service could not continue to depend on the goodwill and sacrifice of nurses and midwives to maintain services.
She said nurses work around the clock caring for some of the most vulnerable people in society and should receive pay that reflects the current cost of living and the demands of their work.
The union has stressed that nurses cannot simply work from home or reduce their workload when staffing pressures increase, making adequate staffing and fair pay particularly important.
Fórsa members set to begin industrial action
Meanwhile, around 32,000 Fórsa members working across the health and welfare sectors are due to begin industrial action on September 30.
Fórsa has given three weeks’ formal notice to the HSE, Tusla and Section 38 organisations.
The initial measures are expected to include working strictly to contractual duties, refusing overtime, declining to take on vacant posts and not participating in the extended seven-day working arrangements.
Approximately 97 per cent of Fórsa members who voted supported industrial action.
Prospect of wider public service strike
The strong INMO vote, combined with support from Fórsa and other public service unions, including SIPTU, has increased the possibility of coordinated industrial action across Ireland’s public services.
The unions have stressed that the possibility of avoiding a strike remains open if the government presents a credible pay proposal that addresses the impact of the rising cost of living.
However, the latest votes signal growing frustration among healthcare workers over what unions describe as years of increasing pressure on staff.
The INMO has not yet announced a specific date for strike action by nurses and midwives. September 30 remains the planned start date for the industrial action announced by Fórsa members.
The Government’s response and the level of coordination between the unions in the coming days are likely to determine whether the dispute develops into wider disruption across Ireland’s health service and public sector.
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