Nurses vow to continue with potential strike action

Nurses here are vowing to continue with potential strike action, despite calls from health chiefs to reconsider.

There's been a number of developments this week in a long-running dispute over pay and working conditions.

On Monday the new Director of the Royal College of Nursing Pat Cullen said it needed to be addressed as a matter of urgency by the Department of Health. She said if nothing changed by the end of June, then the union would be forced to ballot its members over industrial action.

But yesterday, the man in charge of Northern Ireland’s health service appealed to nurses to 'work with him' as the department continues with a major transformation plan.

Permanent Secretary Richard Pengelly, who is responsible for pushing through reform in the absence of fully functioning Stormont, has warned that without significant change the entire system will collapse.

Mr Pengelly told Downtown & Cool FM: "We are working as hard as we can to alleviate the pressures nurses are under and the way we will alleviate these pressures is through our transformation journey."

But, he said there was no money to boost nurses' wages in the short term.

"We are continuing our dialogue with the unions," he said. "One of the things I am trying to do is to continue to explain to the unions that I can only play the hand I have been dealt.

"I don't have a three-year fianancial settlement so therefore I can't make long-term financial commitments."

Late last night, however, the union confirmed it will go ahead with plans to ballot members, if no agreement is reached.

Pat Cullen told us: "If at the end of June, we are in a position where we are no further forward with those pay talks, and we are still within the crisis that we are in, we will be left with no other option but to move to a ballot for industrial action or strike."

There would be a six week consultation period meaning any potential strike action could begin in September. That's usually when the winter pressures begin to kick in for the health service.