PSYCHIATRIC NURSES ASSOCIATION of Ireland
Tel: 045 852300 Email: info@pna.ie
21.05.19
Dear Colleagues,
We have been furnished with an updated contract and have been invited back into talks today @ 2.30pm.
These talks are taking place under the auspices of the WRC.
As soon as this stage in the process is completed we will update you further
Yours sincerely
Peter Hughes
General Secretary
Wednesday 15 th May - Ambulance personnel members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) from around the country protested at Leinster House, Kildare St. today (Wednesday 15 th May) at 1 p.m. for a second time in demand of their right to be represented by the PNA as the union of their choice. Today's protest will initiate a new campaign of escalating industrial action with two 24 hour strikes in the coming weeks, with one taking place in the week beginning 27 th May, and the second in the week beginning 3rd June.
Peter Hughes, PNA General Secretary said PNA ambulance branch members were again bringing their protest to Leinster House to ensure that politicians hear the strength of resolve and determination that the members have to secure the basic right to join and be represented by a recognised trade union.
‘That this dispute has been allowed by the HSE to fester and drag on for over a year is a disgrace. This is especially so when the HSE has refused invitations to the WRC and calls from across the political divide to recognise the wishes of ambulance personnel and end this unnecessary dispute. The unanimous support shown at our PNA Annual Delegate Conference in Wexford in recent weeks was heartening, and confirms that this dispute is not going away until the rights of ambulance personnel are respected and vindicated.'
Sinead McGrath, PNA Ambulance Branch Chairwoman, said:
CONFERENCE HEARS CHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES INADEQUATE TO MEET GROWING DEMAND AND STAFFING OF NEW FORENSIC MENTAL HEALTH HOSPITAL WILL BE MAJOR CHALLENGE
The current shortage of nurses in mental health services is growing while demand in all aspects of services increases the General Secretary of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) told the union's 48 th Annual Delegate Conference meeting in Wexford today (Thursday 2 nd May.)
PNA General Secretary, Peter Hughes said the recruitment and retention crisis shows no signs of easing with emigration of psychiatric nursing graduates, the attraction of better pay and conditions in the private sector and a prospect of 34% of psychiatric nurses retiring by 2021 all adding to the crisis.
‘Even now the HSE solution to the crisis has been to impose an embargo on all recruitment from April. This move is only adding to the staffing crisis and I am calling on the HSE to immediately introduce derogation from this embargo for mental health and intellectual disability services'
Thursday, 18th April - Ambulance personnel members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) meeting in Mullingar today agreed to escalate theirindustrial action with a rolling series of 24 hour strikes in pursuit of their right to join and be represented by the PNA as the union of their choice. Dates for the series of 24- hour national ambulance strikes will be confirmed at the PNA Annual Delegate Conference on May 2nd. PNA ambulance personnel will also mount a second protest at Dail Eireann on May 15th.
The Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) today (Friday 12th April) strongly condemned the decision of the HSE to close the Rosalie Community Psychiatric Unit in Castlerea, Co Roscommon. The PNA said the closure, which the HSE has claimed is in line with the recommendations of the Anderson Report, is a clear breach of repeated political commitments to keep the unit open and is against the wishes of service users and their families/carers.