Sir, - As a nurse for 10 years, I feel very strongly about the way we have been handled by both the Nursing Alliance Union and the Minister for Health in the recent months of the pay negotiations. Did they think we would really lie down, as nurses have done in the past, and accept a pay deal that insults the hard work, long hours/shifts, post graduate education etc that we, as a professional body, have to go through to maintain the standards of care which the public benefit by when they have to come into hospitals, or any other medical facilities?
Well, not this time. This is no longer a vocation, it is a real job... so wake up in the Government. It is a career that we are proud of and have worked hard to achieve. It is a low paid job, with poor working hours and more emotional stress than any other around. We are now only looking for credit where credit is long overdue.
If we had accepted the most recent pay deal, as a nurse for 10 years I would see no benefit to my pay scale for another five years! And even then, no doubt the economy/price of living would make sure that what was due to me went straight back to the Government. Let all nurses stick together on this one, and let's fight for something that is long overdue to us. I plead with the public to support us on this. - Yours, etc,
(Dip in Counselling & Psychology, Diploma in Nursing Management),
Rock Road,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin