Unions warn further cuts will damage services

Leaders of unions representing frontline public service workers, including health service staff, have warned that further cuts on the lines of those proposed by Bord Snip could lead to many staff resignations and will undermine the quality of these services.

The "24/365 Frontline Services Alliance" says it will hold a series of meetings around the country over the coming weeks to decide on the most effective way to combat service cutbacks.

The Chairman of the Alliance, Des Kavanagh of the Psychiatric Nurses Association, said the McCarthy recommendations sought to revert nurses and other workers to pre-1970 conditions of employment.

"We will never accept that working unsocial hours at night, weekends and bank holidays should attract no additional earnings," he said.

Mr Kavanagh said allowances are paid to nurses in recognition of a combination of higher qualifications, skilled practice and locations of particular challenge.

"Employers gave these increases in lieu of increases in basic pay. Our nurses have earned these allowances, which are now part of their core pay. We will not allow anyone to take them away from us," he said.

Mr Kavanagh added that nurses are carrying a huge burden in trying to maintain services and cuts were damaging patients and exhausting nurses.

Liam Doran of the Irish Nurses Organisation said it members were not anonymous statistics but committed individuals serving all the community 24 hours a day, 52 weeks of the year.

"Commentators who want to slash and burn fail to identify what essential services they actually want to cut or acknowledge that such services are essential to any civilised society," Mr Doran said.

The frontline workers group includes representatives of nurses, paramedics, Gardai, firefighters, prison officers and members of the defence forces.

[Posted: Thu 24/09/2009]