NEWSFLASH NO. 28
20 February 2015
CAMPAIGN OF OPPOSITION TO NMBI FEE INCREASE
- NMBI PR EXPENSES DISCLOSED
- FURTHER EVIDENCE OF NMBI FAILING TO REGULATE AND PROTECT THE PROFESSION
Dear Members
This is the latest update re our campaign of opposition to the proposed increase in the retention fee, by NMBI, of 50% to €150.
We want to begin this update by thanking all of the members who have, in recent days, contacted our unions to confirm their absolute support for the campaign and our stance that the €100 fee must be restored to facilitate further discussions.
In particular we would also like to highlight the following;
• Over the past seven days there was public disclosure, in a national Sunday newspaper, that NMBI paid tens of thousands of euros, in 2013, to a PR company.
• This was the same year that NMBI decided to increase the retention fee, by almost €12, (in a period when nurses and midwives were taking pay cuts) in order to meet its costs!
• We have recently learned, from a survey done by the HSE, that the ratio recommended by the NMBI, pertaining to the number of each CPC to Undergraduate Student is not being adhered to by most health service employers.
This, obviously, completely undermines the integrity of the undergraduate degree programmes and leads to an absence of support for our undergraduate students and ward based staff.
While this situation has been raised repeatedly, with the NMBI, it has done nothing about it and has failed, completely, to direct hospitals to fill CPC posts.
This is yet another example of the NMBI failing the professions, failing to regulate and failing to stand up to health employers who have imposed cut after cut upon nurses and midwives.
• Members in Ballinasloe have recently decided they intend to hold a lunch time protest on Monday 02 nd March. This is the day before the forthcoming special NMBI board meeting, on the 03 rd March, which has been called to consider a proposal to amend the fee.
We would now encourage other workplaces to organise, locally, similar protests on that day. Please liaise with your local officials/representatives so that we can be advised of the time/nature/form of each local protest to take place on the 02 nd March.
All of these protests will again demonstrate the strong support for the campaign and for the need for the NMBI board to reverse their decision and restore the €100 fee.
• At this time there are no further discussions scheduled, with NMBI, and our three unions continue to, collectively, insist that the Board must restore the €100 fee in order to facilitate any further discussion.
• Further updates will issue in the coming days.
CAMPAIGN CONTINUES AND GROWS
STAY STRONG
STAY UNITED
PAY €100 WHEN YOU CAN
