A chara, – Nursing became a degree profession in Ireland in 2002. Nurses in this country are simply looking for parity of pay and conditions with other medical degree professions (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, etc).
This is obviously long overdue.
Paschal Donohoe may be correct in suggesting there would be pay claims from other public sector workers, should nurses’ pay be increased. However, I doubt there’s a cohort of workers, anywhere in the public sector, that has been subjected to such a disparity of pay and conditions with similarly qualified colleagues for so long. Nor, can I imagine, could there be a body of staff, of any comparable magnitude, for whom staff retention is at such a crisis point.
Public support for nurses seems, rightly, to be extremely high. On the issue of nurses’ pay, this Government looks to be acting on behalf of a smaller minority than even their Dáil numbers represent. – Is mise,
NEIL BRENNAN,
Drimnagh,
Dublin 12.