Support The Nurses

national | worker & community struggles and protests | opinion/analysis

Wednesday April 04, 2007 12:26

by Gregor Kerr - Workers Solidarity Movement - 1st May Branch

kerrgregor at yahoo dot co dot uk

The nurses’ work-to-rule and their threat to escalate the action next week has been met with an outraged onslaught by Mary Harney and Bertie Ahern. The sight of a group of workers standing up and demanding their rights has become so unusual that it seems as if the government cannot believe the temerity of the nurses in doing just that.

Support The Nurses

The nurses’ work-to-rule and their threat to escalate the action next week has been met with an outraged onslaught by Mary Harney and Bertie Ahern. The sight of a group of workers standing up and demanding their rights has become so unusual that it seems as if the government cannot believe the temerity of the nurses in doing just that.

Nurses – through the Irish Nurses Organisation and the Psychiatric Nurses Association – have put forward two key demands
· A 10% pay increase to bring their pay back in line with other health workers
· The introduction of a 35-hour working week, again bringing their working hours in line with other health workers

That nurses should be entitled to a 35-hour week is not a new demand. In fact 27 years ago the Labour Court recommended that nurses should benefit from a reduced working week.

Discussions and negotiations on the demand to bring nurses’ pay in line with other health workers have been ongoing for approx 6 years.

The work-to-rule commenced 60 days after the nurses’ unions served notice on their employers. So if contingency plans have not been put in place the responsibility rests solely with the HSE and the Department of Health. And if people want someone to blame for this action, the finger of blame should point squarely at the Minister for Health and HSE officials who have had plenty of time to meet the nurses’ demands but have chosen not to do so.

A political decision has been made to take the nurses on and attempt to break their unions, because they have had the courage to step outside of the cosy ‘partnership’ consensus and behave as a trade union is supposed to do.

It behoves all workers to stand shoulder to shoulder with the nurses in their struggle. The last twenty years of so-called ‘social partnership’ have seen our unions turned into pale imitations of what they used to be. This period has seen the portion of national wealth going to employers and the rich in the form of profits, dividends, interest and rent rise from 31% to 41%. At the same time the share of the economy going to the working class in wages, pensions and social security has declined from 69% to 50%.

In other words, ‘social partnership’ has resulted in a huge transfer of wealth from workers to employers. It is no wonder that employers and the government are so anxious to preserve it and are so scared by the sight of the nurses standing up for their rights.

What a shame that the other nurses’ union, SIPTU, haven’t stood by their fellow-workers. A united stand by all workers would have been so much more powerful. Nonetheless there is an onus on all workers to support the nurses’ stand. The trade union movement was built on the premise of solidarity. If we all show solidarity with the nurses in this tradition, they can be successful.

The government has engaged in a Public Relations onslaught against the nurses and their unions. In coming days, and especially as their industrial action escalates, it is important that all trade unionists show clearly that we are on the side of justice and fair play, and that we won’t be taken in by the PR-spin.

‘Social partnership’ and benchmarking are the antithesis of what real trade unionism should be about. Victory for the nurses might just be a spark which would re-ignite some real trade unionism.

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Comments (8 of 8)

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by Steve

Wed Apr 04, 2007 16:02

Have you seen how the media have reacted to this? Interminable stories about one sick baby, and some go as far as saying the nurses are "holding the country to ransom". Sigh. As if the people they're trying to appeal to are all perfect and cuddly.

Backing the wrong horse.

by Non-Nursing Health Worker

Wed Apr 04, 2007 19:27

"The advantage of coming from the working class is knowing that not every member of the working class is a revolutionary" - Janos Kadar. The Anarchists should take a leaf from Kadar's book and come back from the swoon after taking the smelling salts. This is not a case of workers 'standing up for their rights' but a case of pure greed and elitism from the most pampered grade in the health services. By this very logic solicitors and auctioneers should be supported in looking for more fees, Consultants, T.D.s,judges, andcoppers for more megabucks. Where would it all stop? This 'grab everything whilst it is going' argument strenghtens individualism and capitalism; certainly does not threaten it.

Most of the toughest work in the health services is now carried out by non-nursing staff ,and nurses, since they got their degrees, delegate work out to everyone else. Patient's arses are now wiped by nurse's aids and low and behold a nursewould cock his/her nose up at the whiff of a peasant, not to mind a nappy.

Didn't see many out for the Irish Ferries March.

By the way, bad and all as social partnership is, it still delivered the highest pay rises in Europe for workers over the last few years. Jaysus now, dosen't that make it revolutionary by anarchist economic arguments?

Quoting Stalinists won't get you very far

by Imre Nagy

Wed Apr 04, 2007 20:11

Jaysis now, you're really a special one aren't you? You think you're going to impress people by quoting Kadar of all people? For those unfamiliar with the chap - last year was the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian revolution, and its brutal repression by Soviet tanks. After the popular reforming Communist leadership was ousted by Moscow (most of them were executed at a later date), they needed a Hungarian traitor to replace them, and Janos Kadar stepped forward, Hungary's quisling. A mass murdering, traitorous swine - and you obviously admire him.

Bearing that in mind, we can safely ignore the rest of your bitter rant.

Backing the wrong horse

by Non Nursing Health Worker.

Wed Apr 04, 2007 23:32

Well done Mr. Nagy. You have uncovered an unrepetentant Stalinist. You call Mr. Kadar a mass murdering, traiterous swine - a typical C.I.A. historical description. Pray tell and enlighten us as to who and how many he murdered?

Question for ex Soviet Russians and 'satellite' East Europeans: Life better now than twenty years ago?

Question for revolutionary nurses: What revolutionary party will get your vote in coming election? Excuse my sniggering but suspect it begins with F. Anarchists please take note.

Go back to your cave

Thu Apr 05, 2007 11:26

Okey doke, we know now that "Non-nursing health worker" is a Stalinist who supports dictatorships that murdered countless working-class people for such terrible sins as going on strike, giving cheek to managers and trying to form independent trade unions. The rest of his sour anti-nurses diatribe can be read in that light. Anyone who dismissed criticism of Stalinist tyrants as "CIA propaganda" obviously has no respect for truth, so we can safely assume that the rest of his rant is a pack of lies.

Children's nurse

by wearynursey

Fri Apr 06, 2007 20:40

To all of those people out there who see nurses as nothing more than below-average-IQ arse wipers, let me tell you all about my day...I'm a nurse in the country's biggest children's hospital (big clue there!). For those of you who seem to think that nursing is only concerned with the elderly let me explain that I'm a children's nurse, specialising in intensive care. I started my shift at 7.30 this morning. At 9am one of the maternity hospitals called the ICU to say that a baby that was two hours old had basically gone blue, was now on life support and winging his way to my ICU. I admitted the child, connected him to multiple monitors and did the usual range of blood tests etc...I resuscitated the baby with the help of my nursing and medical colleagues when he went into full cardiac arrest. I brought him to theatre with all machines still connected where he had emergency open heart surgery-at 8 hours of age. I collected him when his surgery was over and brought him back to ICU -it took 5 people to transport the baby and the machinery. There I looked after him and all his life support equipment for another couple of hours until my shift ended. This baby was so sick that the surgeons had had to leave his little chest open after the surgery so we could actually see his tiny heart beating. But at least it was beating. With these kids you're just hoping and praying and using all the skills and experience that you have to ensure that it doesn't stop. Cos if it does, its game over. Not meaning to sound like a complete moaner but i just want people to realise what some nurses actually do for a living. Parents of these babies always tell us that they had no idea of what goes on in that unit. Until thay have reason to be there. And lets hope none of the cynics in this country ever have to. They have such a low opinion of nurses they'd probably keel over and die at the door....Where we'd have to resuscitate them!!!!!!

ISN call for solidarity with Nurses:

by Conor - ISN

Sat Apr 07, 2007 15:37

When any group of workers go on strike, their value to society becomes immediately apparent. With their labour withdrawn, the forgotten postal worker, teacher, or train driver leaps into public consciousness as letters are left undelivered, schools are emptied, and trains are idled on railway sidings. Most industrial actions not only involve the suffering of the workers on strike, but the people who need their services most. It is those without any financial cushion who are worse affected, vulnerable pensioners waiting on payments, children solely reliant on public schooling, and so on.

So it isn’t surprising that employers use the inconvenience of those who need these services as a reason why the strikers should back down and return to work. Hypocrisy is rife as the social welfare recipient who has seen their share of national income drop from 11% to 8.8% in the celtic tiger years is suddenly a primary concern of the government1, and workers who demand a fair share of profits are deemed greedy by the fatcats who’ve never had it so good. Whatever the sector, whoever the employer, the bosses tactic is the same: pitch worker against worker, divide and rule.

As our government continues to disregard the sick, the Irish Nurses Orginisation (INO) has been one of its best critics. Showing concern for the interests of patients as much as it’s own members, the INO posts a weekly set of statistics on its website detailing the number of sick people attended to on hospital trollies 2. It has criticised the government for pushing health privatisation while people who are poor and excluded get sick more often and die younger than people who are better off 3. Some months ago, INO members passed a motion of no-confidence in the neo-liberal Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney4.

In short, the INO is one of the few unions courageous enough to step outside the “partnership” consensus and stand up to the government. Last week, INO members embarked on a work to rule. With 100% compliance, the Union looks set to embark on work stoppages later this week5.

Along with the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PSA), the INO have two key demands:
1) A 10% pay increase to bring their pay back in line with other health workers.
2) The introduction of a 35-hour working week, again bringing their working hours in line with other health workers.

The claim for a 35-hour week dates back to a 1980 Labour court recommendation 6. Since then, various governments have ignored the plight of the Nurses as much as they have ignored patients. The 35-hour week hasn’t been implemented7, and in the late 1980s a Labour Minister closed 8 public hospitals with 704 beds as our public health services continued to deteoriate.

The INO/PSA work to rule commenced without the presence of SIPTU workers after 60 days notice, and approximately 6 years of negotiation. INO members have been careful to reduce the impact of their industrial action on seriously ill patients 8.

In any case, the responsibility for this industrial action rests solely with the Government. They will gladly see patients from poorer backgrounds suffer in an effort to prepare the way for them to smash the INO/PSA. Over the last week, Harney and her ideological bedfellows have been on the offensive. Media outlets which ignore the 33% of men and 45% of women that identify financial problems as the greatest factor preventing them improving their health are suddenly showing concern for patients in the public system9.

Emotive arguments focusing on standards of patient care are seldom used when evaluating the profiteering of a section of Consultant Doctors. Nor are they used when vital expertise, resources, and facilities are directed into the growing cosmetic surgery market instead of being focused on those who don’t have access to basic health services. Ethical concerns about patient care are only raised when health workers are told by their bosses to get back to working long hours for low pay. They are told that a country of some 2,700 individuals worth between €5m and €30m cannot afford to pay them a decent wage 10, and to demand one is greedy.

But demand they must. The Nurses know from experience that politely asking Mary Harney to meet their modest claims is about as useful as treating patients with bureaucrats. Legitimate anger about the conditions that have created this industrial action should be directed against the Government, not at conscientious health workers. It is unfortunate that SIPTU has failed to come out in support of the action. A united stand by all nurses would almost guarantee a victory over Harney. In these days of social partnership, the stand taken by the INO/PSA workers deserves support and solidarity from all.

1: http://www.cso.ie/statistics/expend_social_welfare.htm
2: http://www.ino.ie/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=6030
3: Balanda, K. & Wilde, J. 2001, Inequalities in Mortality 1989 - 1998: A Report on All-Ireland Mortality Data, The Institute of Public Health in Ireland, Dublin.
Barry, J., Sinclair, H., Kelly, A., O'Loughlin, R., Handy, D., & O'Dowd, T. 2001,Inequalities in Health in Ireland - Hard Facts, Department of Community Health & General Practice, Dublin. Nolan, B. & Callan, T. eds. 1994 Poverty and Policy in Ireland. Economic and Social Research Institute,Dublin.
4: http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0505/nurses.html
5: http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0406/nurses.html
6: http://www.ino.ie/DesktopModules/Articles/ArticlesView....12258
7: http://www.ino.ie/DesktopModules/Articles/ArticlesView....=7697
8: http://www.ino.ie/DesktopModules/Articles/ArticlesView....18623
9: Kelleher, C., Friel, S., NicGabhain, S., Tay J. B. 2003b, Socio-demographic predictors of self rated health in the Republic of Ireland: findings from the National Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes and Nutrition, SLAN. Soc Sci Med. 2003 Aug; 57 (3): 477-86.
10: http://applications.boi.com/updates/Article?PR_ID=1388

Sectarianism disappointing but unsurprising

by Leon

Wed Apr 11, 2007 16:16

NNHW
All industrial action should be supported whether 'justified' or not. In fact 'unjustified' strikes should be supported first. As a Stalinist you should remember that deepening the contradictions is necessary for a revolution. How can the vanguard act if the proletariat are not discontented. Perhaps a long all out strike could lead to the destruction of the health service.

It is not the role of a revolutionary to play tuppence resenting tuppence ha'penny. Work your own go slow. Spread discontent wherever you can, lose files. Bring about unnecessary deaths.

IN
Your sectarian response is typical of anarchists.
Rather than address the substance of Non Nursing Health Worker's posts you witter on about Hungary. This vapid enjoyment of virtue for its own sake is at the core of anarchism.

What did you imagine would happen IN when you pulled out of the Warsaw Pact. Did you imagine that Hungary's participation in a war of extermination against the Russian people would have been forgotten. You stooges of the plutocrats and yankees got less than what you deserved.

STALIN IS MERCIFUL

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