THOUSANDS of nurses across Northern Ireland took part in industrial action for the first time yesterday as the dispute over staffing and pay escalates.
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) began the first 24-hour phase of their planned programme of action, a week after Unison began striking.
Lunchtime meetings took place among across the north's main hospitals, with nurses 'working to rule'.
RCN chief Pat Cullen insisted her members would continue to provide 'direct patient care' but would not be performing 'non-nursing duties', such as "administration, extra portering and unpaid overtime".
She also said there was no reason for the Belfast health trust to cancel 10,000 planned appointments, day case procedures and surgeries last Friday as nursing staff were "on duty".
"RCN member will care for patients and not do non-nursing duties, those duties that have taken them away from their patients constantly and have been used to prop up the health service in the absence of having proper structures and processes in place," Ms Cullen said.
Two further days of RCN industrial action will take place next Tuesday and Wednesday, with a strike planned for December, the first in the trade union's 103-year history.
While Ms Cullen has yet to announce what services will be "off the table" and exempted from strike action, it is expected that children's and maternity services will be unaffected.
Yesterday's action coincided with a joint statement issued by the chief executives of the north's six health trust, who warned "a significant risk to patient safety is likely" due to the ongoing walkouts and industrial action.
They have formally advised permanent secretary at the Department of Health, Richard Pengelly, about their concerns, stating:
"We now all need to urgently find a resolution to the current dispute."
The department has asked the unions to "pause" but Ms Cullen said the issue of unsafe staffing has yet to be addressed.
There are currently 2,800 empty nursing jobs in the north while a 2.1 per cent pay rise offer has been rejected by unions, as they say it will not bring them into line with their NHS counterparts pay.
Mr Pengelly has said he is unable to make a higher offer due to budgetary constraints and the absence of a minister. The current offer equates to around £50m of this year's budget - while £100m is required.
When asked by The Irish News if there the December 18 strike could be averted, Ms Cullen replied:
"No, not if the same rhetoric is sent out by the Department of Health. The department needs to get a table with us to address the safe staffing issue within nursing. As yet, the first meeting hasn’t happened."
