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THE INMO AND Psychiatric Nurses Organisation have called on TDs and Senators to meet them today at a briefing session that will discuss the HSE scheme for graduate nurses.
The HSE graduate nursing programme opened earlier this month, with the application window initially open for a week. But due to low levels of interest, it will remain open until 1 February to attract applicants. The INMO has called for a boycott of the scheme.
Currently, interested graduate nurses have until noon on Friday 1 February to apply.
The HSE told TheJournal.ie:
As the rate of applications received to date for Phase 1 of the graduate nurse recruitment scheme has been slower than anticipated, the HSE has extended the closing date by two weeks. Applications will now be accepted until noon on Friday, 1 February.
Eligibility for the jobs initiative is also now open to nursing graduates from 2010 and 2011, in addition to 2012 graduates. The graduate nurse recruitment initiative is intended to provide up to 1,000 graduates with two-year contracts across HSE and HSE funded sites.
The HSE said that it “will not be in a position to provide details on application numbers until after the closing date”.
INMO
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said that they have intensified their campaign in calling for people to boycott the nurse graduate programme. They invited all TDs and Senators to an information briefing session in Leinster House today on the issue.
They said that the session will “present the flaws in this [graduate scheme] initiative” and “clarify why and how savings can be made while still respecting agreed rates of pay”.
The organisations also said that comments made by the Minister for Health, Dr James Reilly, in the Sunday Business Post that young professionals could take a graduate job or face the alternative of emigrating or working in a fast food outlet, had further galvanised their campaign.
The INMO and the Psychiatric Nurses Association said they had been inundated with calls from new graduates saying they had felt insulted by these comments. The organisations also said that the position of all TDs relating to the programme will be made known to their members.
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so now reilly is dishing those who work in fast food outlets, this man is far removed from humanity and yet he is the minister for health, time for him to go….
Up the nurses……….(i’m not a nurse)
I thought this was meant to be a scheme to enable nurses to get experience. Well If they’ve opened it up to 2010 graduates how is this the case? Once again the hse spin doctors have made a monumental balls up and have been exposed for what they are. It’s simply a scheme to get cheap labour, no more or no less. I’m glad the boycott has worked, pay people the going rate, that’s it.
David, that’s the truth, well said
This kinda thing is happening to ALL graduates, some working for nothing at all, also happening to people currently employed….it’s called employers taking the piss and using the recession as an excuse….they’re getting away with it too!!
The government think that all people are entitled is the bare minimum required to survive, anything more than that is a luxury. It’s good to see nurses sticking together. These experienced nurses were graduates once.
Not been bad but the government don’t care otherwise they would be helping
I am a social care student. I support the nurses/midwives because WE’RE NEXT. Don’t give in…ever.
I hope the INO take responsibility for graduate nurses going abroad . I know a number of graduate nurses – they feel intimidate by the INO and are reluctant to put their names forward for positions in
in Ireland as they understand that they will not be welcomed by serving nurses.
I know some people who post on forums with made up stories.
The fact here is that only 30 people have applied for this scheme because it is insulting and unfair. To claim the big bad INMO keeping poor young graduates from getting jobs is ridiculous.
Power, good to see the spin goes on, nobody is intimidating these nurses one way or another, the decision is theirs alone, and will be respected either way by their colleagues,
These are the same nurses who agreed to these terms to save their own bacon! Can’t go back and renegotiate the bits where you compromised!
Where ,when and how did “These Same Nurses” agree to reducing new nurses pay to 80%?
The Croke Park Agreement.
Croke Park, “….no further reductions in their pay rates, other than those applied in 2009 and 2010;”
There was a 10% pay reduction for new entrants passed by Government as part of Budget 2010 which no union or union member member had any say in.
It was pointed out that this would cause problems later on .
This is a different problem as the reduction in pay offered is 20%. If Graduate nurses feel this is not enough then it’s their right not to accept it just as It’s anyone’s right not to accept or apply a job they don’t feel
remunerates them enough.
And as for your smart comment about “saving their own bacon” I’d love to see how quick you’d be to hand over more of your hard earned cash after a 20% reduction in take home pay.
No other sector has taken 30% paycut! The croke park agreement does not protect graduate nurses! Nurse and midwives have such massive responsibility. Some people haven’t a notion of what the croke park agreement is. James reilly has insulted nurses and midwives. No respect and his colleagues should see this and call for his resignation. He is running the health service into the ground.
They should really be happy with what they have! Everyone has to start somewhere in everything and that usually means pay is not good at the start, you work your way up! They will still get overtime, I never got paid overtime in my life! Should be happy with that and count themselves lucky the ain’t in the dole queue with a lot of people who would love to get that wage!!
Off you go then…. Apply for the job
Amy, nurses have options, go abroad, work in the private sector, do further study, some may take these jobs, but if you don’t have to,why would you, overtime, yes because of a recruitment ban, this is the real world Amy ,
Amy I don’t think u understand? This is only a 2 year contract and then your let go for new grads to take your place and then they’ll be let go after 2 years and so forth… This is simply a ploy to use and abuse workers once again in this country just like the jobs bridge which employers now use instead of full time hiring. We can’t go on like this forever something needs to be done. Would the Td’s work for 21,679? What? No I didn’t think so either.
have your say