THE nursing unions are to begin balloting of their main branches this week on the Government's latest pay offer.
The Cork and Limerick branches will meet tomorrow and Dublin nurses will be balloted on Tuesday, February 20th. So far only one branch, Ennis, has voted and the result was a unanimous rejection of the offer, which is for an extra £150 a year for staff nurses with 15 years' service.
If the nurses reject the offer, the unions will conduct a strike ballot on March 13th. If this is successful, industrial action will begin with the main Dublin hospitals from April 16th.
Later today the main nursing union, the Irish Nurses' Organisation, will meet the recently formed Irish Patients' Association.
The IPA is also hoping to meet officials from the Department of Health with the aim of clarifying the positions of the two sides in the current dispute.
The IPA said the meetings were intended to establish that no patient will be harmed, or their recovery impeded, by any action or lack of action by either party.
Meanwhile, thousands of temporary workers throughout the public service could benefit from a new Labour Court recommendation. The decision could also have serious implications for the public service recruitment embargo.
The court has recommended the use of confined competitions so that long term temporary nurses can fill a significant proportion of permanent posts.
In a recommendation issued the deputy chairman of the court, Mr Tom McGrath, says: "It is clear to the court that long term temporary nurses are placed at a serious disadvantage when permanent vacancies are filled by way of open competition.
"Accordingly the court finds that, given their contribution and commitment to the delivery of service to patients, they are treated unfairly."
He suggests that the health boards and the unions representing long term temporary nurses meet to discuss the situation and also consult with the Department of Health on the proposal.
The recommendation has been welcomed by the Psychiatric Nurses Association of Ireland, which brought a test case against the South Eastern Health Board to the Labour Court.