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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 14 Feb 2019

Vol. 979 No. 4

Nurses, Midwives and Paramedics Strikes: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]

The following motion was moved by Deputy Ruth Coppinger on Wednesday, 13 February 2019:
That Dáil Éireann:
notes that:
— nurses and midwives have taken industrial action to end wage restraint, lack of pay parity and against the working conditions they are faced with;
— there is a crisis in recruitment and retention of nurses and midwives as a result of pay and conditions they are faced with;
— like all workers, nurses and midwives have seen a massive rise in the cost of living, such as childcare, rent and housing generally;
— there is considerable support and solidarity for nurses and midwives as a result of ordinary people’s direct experiences of the health service;
— paramedics have taken strike action seeking recognition of their union, the National Ambulance Service Representative Association (NASRA);
— there is enormous wealth in our society and yet our health service is being starved of resources, resulting in nurses and midwives being underpaid;
— €270 million was used to pay Anglo Irish Bank junior bondholders in December 2018;
— BAM Ireland, the construction company that is building the new children’s hospital, saw its turnover rise by 28 per cent in 2017 to €465 million, while its pre-tax profits for that year were €15.9 million; and
— Ireland’s richest 300 people have €79 billion in wealth;
believes that:
— there is a need to reverse austerity measures that have hit the health service;
— there is a need for a national health service that is free at the point of use and under the democratic control of working class people;
— a victory for nurses and midwives in this strike would be a victory for all workers and our health service;
— strike action by nurses and midwives has demonstrated the effectiveness of strike action in seeking just and necessary pay increases and improvements to working conditions;
— the recommendations from the Labour Court on 11th February, 2019, which are supported by Government, fall short of the demands of nurses and midwives in their dispute; and
— if this offer is rejected, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions must give full support for the nurses so that the struggle can be brought to a quick but satisfactory outcome; and
calls on the Government to recognise NASRA as the representative union of their members and to accede to the full pay demands of nurses and midwives.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 2:
To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann:” and substitute the following:
“notes:
— the industrial action already taken by nurses and midwives in recent weeks;
— the decision of the Labour Court to intervene in the dispute is in the public interest; and
— the acceptance by the Government of the Labour Court recommendation; and believes that:
— while respecting the requirement on nursing unions to ballot their members, the recommendation represents a fair and balanced solution to the dispute which is consistent with the Public Sector Stability Agreement; and
— an important opportunity exists to enhance the status and significance of nursing and midwifery through collaboration and dialogue, and through the implementation of Sláintecare.”
- (Minister for Health)

In accordance with Standing Order 73(2), it is not possible, due to a technical glitch, to conduct this division by electronic means. Members should now proceed to the lobbies, where the division will be taken manually.

Amendment again put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 51; Níl, 80; Staon, 0.

  • Bailey, Maria.
  • Barrett, Seán.
  • Breen, Pat.
  • Brophy, Colm.
  • Bruton, Richard.
  • Byrne, Catherine.
  • Canney, Seán.
  • Cannon, Ciarán.
  • Carey, Joe.
  • Corcoran Kennedy, Marcella.
  • Coveney, Simon.
  • D'Arcy, Michael.
  • Daly, Jim.
  • Deasy, John.
  • Deering, Pat.
  • Doherty, Regina.
  • Donohoe, Paschal.
  • Doyle, Andrew.
  • Durkan, Bernard J.
  • English, Damien.
  • Farrell, Alan.
  • Fitzgerald, Frances.
  • Flanagan, Charles.
  • Griffin, Brendan.
  • Harris, Simon.
  • Heydon, Martin.
  • Humphreys, Heather.
  • Kehoe, Paul.
  • Kyne, Seán.
  • Lowry, Michael.
  • Madigan, Josepha.
  • McEntee, Helen.
  • McGrath, Finian.
  • McHugh, Joe.
  • McLoughlin, Tony.
  • Mitchell O'Connor, Mary.
  • Moran, Kevin Boxer.
  • Murphy, Dara.
  • Murphy, Eoghan.
  • Naughten, Denis.
  • Naughton, Hildegarde.
  • Neville, Tom.
  • Noonan, Michael.
  • O'Connell, Kate.
  • O'Dowd, Fergus.
  • Phelan, John Paul.
  • Ring, Michael.
  • Rock, Noel.
  • Ross, Shane.
  • Stanton, David.
  • Zappone, Katherine.

Níl

  • Adams, Gerry.
  • Barry, Mick.
  • Boyd Barrett, Richard.
  • Brady, John.
  • Brassil, John.
  • Breathnach, Declan.
  • Broughan, Thomas P.
  • Browne, James.
  • Buckley, Pat.
  • Burton, Joan.
  • Butler, Mary.
  • Byrne, Thomas.
  • Cahill, Jackie.
  • Calleary, Dara.
  • Casey, Pat.
  • Chambers, Jack.
  • Chambers, Lisa.
  • Collins, Joan.
  • Collins, Niall.
  • Connolly, Catherine.
  • Coppinger, Ruth.
  • Cowen, Barry.
  • Crowe, Seán.
  • Curran, John.
  • Doherty, Pearse.
  • Donnelly, Stephen S.
  • Ellis, Dessie.
  • Ferris, Martin.
  • Fitzmaurice, Michael.
  • Fitzpatrick, Peter.
  • Fleming, Sean.
  • Funchion, Kathleen.
  • Gallagher, Pat The Cope.
  • Grealish, Noel.
  • Haughey, Seán.
  • Healy, Seamus.
  • Howlin, Brendan.
  • Kelleher, Billy.
  • Kenny, Gino.
  • Lahart, John.
  • Lawless, James.
  • MacSharry, Marc.
  • McConalogue, Charlie.
  • McDonald, Mary Lou.
  • McGrath, Mattie.
  • McGrath, Michael.
  • McGuinness, John.
  • Mitchell, Denise.
  • Moynihan, Michael.
  • Munster, Imelda.
  • Murphy O'Mahony, Margaret.
  • Murphy, Catherine.
  • Murphy, Eugene.
  • Murphy, Paul.
  • O'Brien, Darragh.
  • O'Brien, Jonathan.
  • O'Callaghan, Jim.
  • O'Dea, Willie.
  • O'Keeffe, Kevin.
  • O'Reilly, Louise.
  • O'Rourke, Frank.
  • O'Sullivan, Jan.
  • O'Sullivan, Maureen.
  • Ó Broin, Eoin.
  • Ó Caoláin, Caoimhghín.
  • Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
  • Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
  • Penrose, Willie.
  • Pringle, Thomas.
  • Quinlivan, Maurice.
  • Rabbitte, Anne.
  • Ryan, Brendan.
  • Ryan, Eamon.
  • Scanlon, Eamon.
  • Shortall, Róisín.
  • Smith, Brendan.
  • Smith, Bríd.
  • Stanley, Brian.
  • Tóibín, Peadar.
  • Troy, Robert.

Staon

Tellers: Tá, Deputies Seán Kyne and Tony McLoughlin; Níl, Deputies Mick Barry and Ruth Coppinger.
Amendment declared lost.

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann:” and substitute the following:

“notes that:

— the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation’s Executive Council and the Psychiatric Nurses Association have suspended industrial action, following a recommendation from the Labour Court;

— the Labour Court recommendation makes progress across all areas of concern to the nursing unions, including the key areas of safe staffing and addressing recruitment and retention problems; and

— the agreement by both sides that the resolution to the dispute must be found with the framework of the Public Service Stability Agreement;

welcomes proposals for:

— enhanced practice in nursing and widwifery with the development of a new Enhanced Nurse Practice salary scale;

— guaranteed multi-annual funding to maintain safe staffing levels;

— increased education and training opportunities;

— an expert review of the nursing profession to be undertaken in the medium term; and

— the addressing of other issues of concern to the union side as part of the resolution of the dispute; and

calls for all sides to the dispute to be given time to consider the recommendations without interference.”

Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 99; Níl, 35; Staon, 0.

  • Bailey, Maria.
  • Barrett, Seán.
  • Brassil, John.
  • Breathnach, Declan.
  • Breen, Pat.
  • Brophy, Colm.
  • Browne, James.
  • Bruton, Richard.
  • Burton, Joan.
  • Butler, Mary.
  • Byrne, Catherine.
  • Byrne, Thomas.
  • Cahill, Jackie.
  • Calleary, Dara.
  • Canney, Seán.
  • Cannon, Ciarán.
  • Carey, Joe.
  • Casey, Pat.
  • Chambers, Jack.
  • Chambers, Lisa.
  • Collins, Niall.
  • Corcoran Kennedy, Marcella.
  • Coveney, Simon.
  • Cowen, Barry.
  • Curran, John.
  • D'Arcy, Michael.
  • Daly, Jim.
  • Deasy, John.
  • Deering, Pat.
  • Doherty, Regina.
  • Donnelly, Stephen S.
  • Donohoe, Paschal.
  • Doyle, Andrew.
  • Durkan, Bernard J.
  • English, Damien.
  • Farrell, Alan.
  • Fitzgerald, Frances.
  • Fitzpatrick, Peter.
  • Flanagan, Charles.
  • Fleming, Sean.
  • Gallagher, Pat The Cope.
  • Grealish, Noel.
  • Griffin, Brendan.
  • Harris, Simon.
  • Haughey, Seán.
  • Heydon, Martin.
  • Howlin, Brendan.
  • Humphreys, Heather.
  • Kehoe, Paul.
  • Kelleher, Billy.
  • Kyne, Seán.
  • Lahart, John.
  • Lawless, James.
  • Lowry, Michael.
  • MacSharry, Marc.
  • Madigan, Josepha.
  • McConalogue, Charlie.
  • McEntee, Helen.
  • McGrath, Finian.
  • McGrath, Michael.
  • McGuinness, John.
  • McHugh, Joe.
  • McLoughlin, Tony.
  • Mitchell O'Connor, Mary.
  • Moran, Kevin Boxer.
  • Moynihan, Aindrias.
  • Moynihan, Michael.
  • Murphy O'Mahony, Margaret.
  • Murphy, Catherine.
  • Murphy, Dara.
  • Murphy, Eoghan.
  • Murphy, Eugene.
  • Naughten, Denis.
  • Naughton, Hildegarde.
  • Neville, Tom.
  • Noonan, Michael.
  • O'Brien, Darragh.
  • O'Callaghan, Jim.
  • O'Connell, Kate.
  • O'Dea, Willie.
  • O'Dowd, Fergus.
  • O'Keeffe, Kevin.
  • O'Rourke, Frank.
  • O'Sullivan, Jan.
  • Ó Cuív, Éamon.
  • Penrose, Willie.
  • Phelan, John Paul.
  • Rabbitte, Anne.
  • Ring, Michael.
  • Rock, Noel.
  • Ross, Shane.
  • Ryan, Brendan.
  • Ryan, Eamon.
  • Scanlon, Eamon.
  • Shortall, Róisín.
  • Smith, Brendan.
  • Stanton, David.
  • Troy, Robert.
  • Zappone, Katherine.

Níl

  • Adams, Gerry.
  • Barry, Mick.
  • Boyd Barrett, Richard.
  • Brady, John.
  • Broughan, Thomas P.
  • Buckley, Pat.
  • Collins, Joan.
  • Connolly, Catherine.
  • Coppinger, Ruth.
  • Crowe, Seán.
  • Cullinane, David.
  • Doherty, Pearse.
  • Ellis, Dessie.
  • Ferris, Martin.
  • Fitzmaurice, Michael.
  • Funchion, Kathleen.
  • Healy, Seamus.
  • Kenny, Gino.
  • McDonald, Mary Lou.
  • McGrath, Mattie.
  • Mitchell, Denise.
  • Munster, Imelda.
  • Murphy, Paul.
  • O'Brien, Jonathan.
  • O'Reilly, Louise.
  • O'Sullivan, Maureen.
  • Ó Broin, Eoin.
  • Ó Caoláin, Caoimhghín.
  • Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
  • Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
  • Pringle, Thomas.
  • Quinlivan, Maurice.
  • Smith, Bríd.
  • Stanley, Brian.
  • Tóibín, Peadar.

Staon

Tellers: Tá, Deputies John Lahart and Michael Moynihan; Níl, Deputies Mick Barry and Ruth Coppinger.
Amendment declared carried.
Amendment No. 3 not moved.
Motion, as amended, agreed to.
Sitting suspended at 1.48 p.m. and resumed at 2.28 p.m.
Barr
Roinn