The Health Service Executive (HSE) has a legal requirement to give a decision by December 25th regarding the case raised by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (IMNO) regarding the working conditions of fourth-year nursing and midwifery students, The University Times has learned.
However, this case is not an official “pay claim”, as the IMNO are forbidden to pursue this course of action because of current legislation. Due to this restriction, the organisation has presented their argument as a “retention measure” issue. They assert that increasing pay for this year’s interns will positively affect students’ experience of the Irish system thus making them more inclined to remain in the country following graduation and helping to resolve the current shortage of nurses in the state.
Specifically, the organisation is hoping to be able to achieve an increased wage for interns, meaning that they would be paid 90 per cent of a nurse’s wage during their final year internship in which students have the same responsibilities as fully qualified staff, except in areas regarding medication. In return, the IMNO are proposing that students sign contracts to remain in their given hospital for one year after qualification, and for two years if hospitals pay for their postgraduate studies.
The INMO are reported to be “extremely positive” about the manner in with the talks have so far proceeded in meetings with the Department of Expenditure and Public Reform.
Nevertheless, if the Christmas-time decision granted by the state is not satisfactory to students, protests and possible strike action are still on the cards, as reported by this newspaper last month. At a meeting with students last week, a plan to hold protests in January or February was discussed by the involved parties. While strike action was discouraged due to complications in relation to paying hours which would therefore affect the registration date for students concerned, if an agreement is not reached the meeting conceded that strike would need to be considered.
The meeting also heard from Phil Ni Sheaghdha, Director of Industrial Relations with the IMNO, who urged students to ensure that they were being rostered for 35 hours, and not 39, as has “frequently” been the case in previous years. This was part of the IMNO’s attempt to improve student conditions outside of negotiations with the HSE.
Liam Doran, General Secretary of the IMNO, also met with students last week. Referring to recent student efforts to raise awareness of intern pay conditions, Doran exclaimed, “I love when students come up here and kick our ass!”
Reacting to the current campaign lead by Galway student Aoife Martha Kiernan for fourth year-interns to be paid at least the legal minimum wage, Catherine Comiskey, Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, expressed the school’s support. In an email response to The University Times, she wrote that “given the considerable and ongoing hardships faced by nursing and midwifery students over the past four years” her school would “support” a return to “previous pay rates to enable students to financially support themselves during a demanding 36 month internship”. She added that the school had been involved in past student protests, such as on the March 6th, 2014, and thus expected this stance to be continued if future protests were to take place.
