A MOTION calling for the resignation of the general secretary of the Irish Nurses Organisation, Mr RJ. Madden, was disallowed at the union's annual conference yesterday.
Four branches had wanted to table a motion seeking Mr Madden's resignation, but this was ruled out under standing orders. It was expected that a closed meeting to discuss the recent settlement in the nurses' dispute would be stormy, with criticism of its handling by Mr Madden, who has held the position for more than 10 years.
When questioned after the meeting, Mr Liam Doran, the deputy general secretary, said that there had been "criticism of Mr Madden in the course of the debate".
"Some delegates said that sometimes in the media he may not have been as strident as he might have been", Mr Doran said. However, the meeting had been "far more positive and forward looking that one might have thought". He added: "We made mistakes and we were told about them and we have learned from them."
On two occasions INO members had been balloted on agreements and had rejected them. The dispute had been seen to be driven from below and at times the union leadership had appeared to have little control. According to Mr Doran, the delegates had demanded better communication between the leadership and members.
It was also decided that too much ambiguity existed about the maintenance of essential services during industrial action. The meeting agreed that nationwide guidelines should be drawn up because there was "too much local latitude, and management had exploited that".
Other issues debated included allowances for specialist qualifications, which are currently worth £300 a year. Delegates expressed dissatisfaction with the number of promotional opportunities and the low level of monetary gain following promotion.
Mr Doran said there had been no suggestion at the meeting that the decision to accept the Labour Court recommendation and not to strike in February "was not representative of the feeling of the average member". The proposal had been accepted by over 70 per cent of the membership.
He said it was clear from the meeting that the INO was "not afraid to react" if it was unhappy with the recommendation made by the Commission on Nursing or if the Government refused to implement recommendations.
. Mr Doran also said that the INFO executive council had sanctioned nurses at St Joseph's Hospital in Clonmel and St Joseph's Hospital in Ennis to take industrial action, withdrawing from non nursing duties and staging lunchtime protests. He described the Clonmel hospital as "the worst funded acute hospital in the country".