Around 6,000 Psychiatric nurses are beginning a voluntary overtime ban today (Thursday) in a dispute over pay and staff shortages.
Members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association PNA have launched the ban just at the 24 hour INMO nurses’ strike ends at 8am.
PNA members will refuse to work overtime hours today, tomorrow, and the 5, 6 and 7 of February.
It is not yet known how the industrial action will affect patients and services until later this morning, PNA General Secretary Peter Hughes told Morning Ireland.
The dispute centres around the ‘continued failure of the government to bring forward realistic proposals to address the recruitment and retention crisis in nursing’.
Mr Hughes said that vacancy rates have increased by 40 per cent over the past year.
“The problem with recruitment and retention is not just going to go away,” Mr Hughes said, as he called on the government to bring forward realistic proposals.
Meanwhile, ambulance personnel who are members of the PNA are planning further days of strike action in their dispute over union recognition. Following last week’s work stoppage, they said they are planning to strike over two consecutive days next.
