NURSES STRIKE: Health unions to meet on Tuesday

Health unions are set to meet again on Tuesday after nurses voted to strike for the first time ever.

They are involved in a long-running dispute over pay and safe staffing levels.

On Thursday, the results of a Royal College of Nursing ballot emerged, showing over 90% of its members voted for strike action.

And a UNISON ballot for NHS workers is set to close today, (Monday) with the results expected in the coming days.

Fresh talks got underway on Friday between unions and the Department of Health but they ended without an agreement.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Health and Social Care Trade Unions NI said:

"Health Unions in Northern Ireland expressed deep disappointment following the statement from the Department of Health that was read to the Trade Unions today outlining their position on pay.

"The pay gap our members expect us to close would still remain.

"There is currently no basis in the Department of Health’s position to enter into a new round of discussions.

"We have already sat in rooms with the Department and Employers for eight months without resolution and what we have heard today will anger our very hard working and dedicated health and social care staff who are already under significant pressure to deliver safe and effective care to the population.

"Our dispute continues."

They added:

"Those who lead the Health Service have a responsibility to seek and secure funding that is desperately needed to stabilise the workforce to ensure safe staffing levels and patient safety and deliver pay justice for our members across the HSC."

But the Department hit back releasing a statement of its own, a spokesperson said:

"The Department can confirm that discussions took place today with trade unions and we hope that there will be further engagement in the days ahead.

"The Department remains fully committed to ongoing dialogue with the unions and have had in the region of 20 meetings on Agenda for Change with union representatives in the last 12 months.

"Subject to further engagement with union colleagues next week, we hope to move towards tabling a formal pay offer very shortly."

Recently the Chief Nursing Officer in Northern Ireland Charlotte McArdle told Downtown Cool FM there is no 'quick fix' to the staffing problem:

"The Department has done a lot in terms of supporting the nursing work force.

"This is a global problem and...while I absolutely accept it's very difficult for our nursing staff on the ground at the moment, the Department is very focused on making things better over the next few years."

Nursing strikes- how did we get here? Analysis by Tara McLaughlin

There are two crucial issues for nurses in Northern Ireland- pay and staffing.

We currently have around 3000 vacancies and workers say that is below safe staffing levels.

Two years ago Westminster agreed a public sector pay deal which was not passed on to staff in Northern Ireland.

That means they are the worst paid in the UK which has a knock-on-effect.

With unattractive wages, recruiting permanent nurses is challenging and has led to a heavy reliance on bank workers.

They are paid more than staff nurses which is eating into the Department of Health's budget.

That leaves health officials with less money to spend and so the vicious cycle continues.

Talks have been ongoing over the last year, and around 20 meetings have taken place with little agreement so far.

The bottom line is, if there is no deal in the next four weeks, we could be looking at the first nurses strike ever in Northern Ireland.