Nurses and midwives at the Midland Regional Hospital in Mullingar, Ireland, used their lunch breaks to protest this week over the long delay in agreeing a new public sector pay deal, in a dispute that is tightening its grip on the health service.
Members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation gathered outside the hospital to argue that pay has not kept pace with the cost of living, including fuel and heating costs that hit shift workers hard. The previous pay agreement expired at the end of June, and staff across the public service have been working to rule since last week.
The government has announced 1.2 billion euros in funding toward a new pay deal as part of its budget. Union representatives at the protest said the announcement did not answer their members' concerns, and an ICU nurse on the union's executive council said staff felt ignored.
Planned public sector strike days this month raise the stakes for hospital managers, who must keep emergency and inpatient care running while clinics and elective work absorb the disruption. For patients, the protest is an early warning of a difficult few weeks in Irish healthcare if talks do not move.
