Nurses and midwives are now leaving the healthcare system in droves as the cost of living crisis bites.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has stated that many of its members have significant costs driving to and from work for every shift and are driving lengthy distances because they cannot afford a home to rent or buy near places of work.
An ESRI report into public workforce requirements in public acute hospitals recommended that we are going to need up to an additional 8,868 nurses and midwives in the next 13 years.
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And now the INMO is calling on the Government to take recruitment and retention measures seriously - including ensuring an attractive remuneration package for nurses and midwives.
“There is a cost to being a nurse or a midwife before we even cross the threshold of our places of work – nurses and midwives do not have an option to work from home one or two days a week, when we are rostered in, we are expected to show up,” said INMO President Karen McGowan.
“Nurses and midwives must be paid better for their skills that are sought after right across the world. It is time the Government recognised that the cost of living crisis is seriously impacting our ability to keep nurses within the health system.”
The INMO has now endorsed participation in a public service wide campaign among members current state of pay talks and their options going forward.
This comes as the Government has deferred further discussions on reviewing the current Building Momentum Public Service Agreement.
Pay talks ended without agreement in mid-June after the Government offered an additional increase of just 2.5% for the 2021-2022 period of the current agreement.
Public sector unions believe this to be inadequate when inflation now seems likely to be over 10% in that period.
INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “The INMO Executive have endorsed the ICTU public service pay campaign.
“Our Executive have instructed that a campaign of information for members be commenced after the ICTU Public Sector Committee meet on Wednesday with a view to participate in this public service campaign up to and including industrial action if necessary.
“We know that there is currently a crisis in staffing in many areas including public health nursing,” he continued..
“We need to see a sense of urgency from the Government and the HSE to solve this issue.
“The path for implementing agreements to improve the lot of nurses and midwives is littered with drawn out and delayed rollouts.
“The public sector carried this country through an incredibly bleak and uncertain pandemic and the Government's response to this reality must reflect the impact the cost of living increases are having on the retention of essential staff,” he said.
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