THE IRISH NURSES and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has launched a campaign with the aim of reversing pay cuts to student nurses and midwives undertaking nine-month work placements on hospital wards.

The INMO has arranged for protests to take place at 13 hospitals on 9 February.

Further to this, the INMO, the Psychiatric Nurses Organisation and SIPTU nurses are also to ballot fourth-year student nurses in support of industrial action, RTÉ reports.

Student nurses have, until now, been paid 80 per cent of a nurse’s salary while undertaking their school year working on the wards – which is a required part of their degree programme. However, the payment is due to be phased out over the next number of years and completely abolished in 2015, reports the Press Association.

INMO General Secretary Liam Doran pointed out student nurses and midwives work full 12-hour shifts while engaging in the placement programmes and that the student workers replace staff nurses and midwives; he said that by refusing to pay them, the government was attempting to introduce slave labour.