- Details
-
Created: Tuesday, 23 July 2019 14:59
Tuesday 23 rd 2019 : The Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) said today (Tuesday 23 rd. 2019 ) that its members will not work beyond contracted hours from tomorrow evening (Wednesday 24 th July) following the collapse of talks at the WRC on proposals to resolve the crisis in recruitment and retention in mental health services.
Announcing the recommencement of the refusal of overtime by PNA members, Peter Hughes, PNA General Secretary said it was disappointing that psychiatric nurses found themselves again having to take this action after being given clear indications by the employer that they were ready to bring forward meaningful and constructive proposals to finally resolve this dispute, and address the recruitment and retention crisis in mental health once and for all.
‘Unfortunately, yesterday's talks at the WRC showed once again the lack of any urgency by the employer to agree detailed terms that would end this dispute'.
Read more ...
- Details
-
Created: Monday, 22 July 2019 11:46
Press release issued on behalf of the Psychaitric Nurses Association:
Saturday, 20 July 2019 - The Psychiatric Nurses Association Ambulance Personnel Branch reports a total disregard of contingency planning for the national ambulance service during the 24-hour strike by ambulance members of the PNA in pursuit of their demand for recognition of their union, the PNA. Reports from across the country confirm that the HSE is disregarding contingency arrangements whereby HSE managers and members of other unions who are not on strike respond to emergency calls ahead of PNA members for the duration of the strike action which commenced yesterday (Friday) at 2 pm for a 24-hour period. The PNA report that at the two ambulance service control centres for the entire country, staff have not been informed of contingency plans and the HSE is continuing to allocate emergency calls to PNA members while they are on strike.
Read more ...
- Details
-
Created: Thursday, 18 July 2019 14:28
Thursday 18 th July - Over 500 ambulance personnel members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) will strike for 24 hours from 2 p.m. tomorrow (Friday, 19 th July) in pursuit of their demand for the right to be represented by the PNA as the union of their choice
This is the second 24-hour PNA ambulance branch strike throughout the country, involving paramedics, advanced paramedics and emergency medical technicians, and will remain in place until 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Peter Hughes, PNA General Secretary, said once again the HSE had refused to engage in normal industrial relations protocol of agreeing contingency planning where notice is given of industrial action involving the emergency services.
Read more ...
- Details
-
Created: Wednesday, 10 July 2019 16:02
Wednesday 10 th July : The Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) said from tomorrow (Thursday) psychiatric nurses will work only their contracted hours in response to the lack of any meaningful progress in five months of talks to resolve the growing recruitment and retention crisis in mental health services.
PNA General Secretary, Peter Hughes said nurses are irate and frustrated that they must revert to working only contracted hours having suspended their strike action five months ago on the clear understanding that the HSE was ready to offer substantial solutions to finally address the crisis in recruitment and retention.
‘Over the past five months of talks which have made little if any progress, nurses have shown extraordinary patience as they watch the mental health services struggle with staff shortages. In some services, these shortages amount to over 20% and overall nationally we know that there are 700 vacancies in mental health services. This is not sustainable in a vital area of our health care where demand is growing all the time.'
Read more ...
- Details
-
Created: Monday, 08 July 2019 13:00
Monday, 8 th July : The Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) said today (Monday,8 th July ) that its members will cease working beyond contracted hours from next Thursday (11 th July) in response to the lack of meaningful progress in talks with the HSE to address the recruitment and retention issues in mental health services.
Announcing the PNA decision, (which was ratified by the PNA Officer Board) General Secretary Peter Hughes said the union has been engaging with the employers represented by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), Department of Health (DOH) and HSE in direct talks, and under the auspices of the WRC, since PNA suspended strike action on the 20 th February. However, despite over four months of engagement little progress has been made to address the recruitment and retention issues.
Read more ...