Nurses On Picket Line At UHK Receive Great Support From Public

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Nurses on the picket line outside UHK on Wednesday. Photo by Dermot Crean

CARS honking their horns and shouts of support from vehicles soundtracked the day for INMO members on the picket line outside University Hospital Kerry.

The nurses were taking part in the nationwide strike today for better pay and conditions and began their picket at around 8am this morning.

It was clear when TraleeToday.ie called up at lunchtime, that they had great support from the public.

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“It’s been absolutely fantastic,” one of the nurses told us. “We’ve had businesses from town bringing up hot food, sandwiches and soups. Members of the public have also been protesting with us.”

At back; Sinead O’Sullivan and Grace Guerin. In front; Kay O’Connell, Noreen Maunsell, Grainne Commane, Anne Sparks and Alma O’Sullivan on the picket line outside UHK on Wednesday. Photo by Dermot Crean

“We’d much rather be inside and getting recognised for our qualifications and the hard work that they do and be on parity with the other allied health professionals in the hospital.”

Is the current overcrowding situation and staffing levels having an effect on morale?

“Absolutely, staff are afraid of their registration every time they go into work. You have patients and their relatives demanding beds…it’s a difficult situation and we also want safer staffing levels for our patients and ourselves,” she added.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has scheduled a further five 24-hour stoppages in the coming weeks if the situation is not resolved. The Government says the pay claim is unaffordable.

Nurses on the picket line outside UHK on Wednesday. Photo by Dermot Crean

One Comment

  1. Matty O'Leary says:

    Good luck to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, the people of Ireland fully support you all.

    The current government should be ashamed of themselves for not preventing this strike.

    The Fine Gael government have simply given the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation no other choice but to strike.

    There has been no real attempt by Fine Gael to face reality and deal with difficult negotiations even if it takes talks with the entirety of the public service.

    Leo Varadkar has no time for the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation or even Ireland as a nation, he is too busy taking orders from Brussels on how to force a hard Brexit and make Ireland the fall guy.

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