The strike is due to go ahead next Tuesday
Talks between nurses' unions and health service employers have ended without agreement on a national contingency plan for emergency cover. However, both sides said this afternoon that some progress had been made in identifying areas that would have to be given special consideration. It was agreed that talks will continue between local strike committees and hospital management in the days leading up to the start of the strike next Tuesday.
An initial attempt to reach agreement a fortnight ago failed. The unions have said they will decide on levels of cover on a local basis, in co-operation with consultants. Two days ago, nurses voted overwhelmingly to begin their strike next Tuesday.
This morning, the Fine Gael leader, John Bruton, warned that the nurses' dispute could result in deaths. He described next week's proposed strike as a disaster and said that it was already having an impact. Speaking in the Dáil today, Mr Bruton said that chemotherapy treatment and brain tumour operations had been cancelled at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin. Calling on the government to talk with the nursing unions, Mr Bruton said that both sides had a joint responsibility to come together to find a basis for dealing with the dispute.
The Labour leader, Ruairí Quinn urged the Minister for Health to make a statement to the Dáil on the outcome of today's talks between the four nursing unions and the health service employers on emergency cover during the strike. The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, said that, when the outcome of the talks was known, the opposition could use the procedures of the House to raise the issue again.
