MEMBERS OF THE Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) and the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) are to protest outside the HSE headquarters today.

The protest will take place at the HSE HQ in Dr Steeven’s Hospital, opposite Heuston Station in Dublin, from 11am today. At 12 midday they will formally hand in a letter to the headquarters for the attention of Barry O’Brien, Deputy CEO of the HSE.

Campaign

The INMO described this latest move as its “next step in the campaign” against the HSE’s nurse graduate programme. The INMO/PNA are also repeating their call for the HSE/Department of Health to suspend the proposed programme and come to the negotiating table to allow for discussions aimed at finding the savings through alternative means.

It says it wants these means to “respect the stated salary scales for all nurses/midwives”.

The organisations say they have identified savings which clearly show how the HSE can secure significant cost reduction through direct employment rather than through agencies.

The INMO also took the opportunity today to say “the boycott is working”, in reference to their boycott on nurses applying for the graduate scheme.

The scheme opened in early January, but the INMO called for graduate nurses to boycott it. Due to low numbers of applications, the deadline for the scheme was extended until today.

The HSE previously told TheJournal.ie that the rate of applications for the first phase of the scheme was “slower than anticipated”, so it extended the closing date by two weeks.  Applications will be accepted until noon today.

Read: Nurses call on TDs to hear them on graduate scheme>