A dispute at South Tipperary General Hospital has been referred to the Workplace Relations Commission.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation claims a refusal by HSE bosses to fund the recruitment of 36 additional nurses and midwives at the hospital has led them to embark on industrial action.
In a statement released today the INMO say:
"INMO members had previously deferred action on foot of an agreement with the CEO and senior management team of the South /South West Hospital Group for an evidence based review of patient needs at the hospital.
The review which was carried out locally and verified by the reputable Dr. Jonathan Drennan of UCC concluded that the five medical and surgical wards needed 15 additional nurses and that a further 21 staff were required in other departments to safely provide the services the people of Tipperary need.
The proposed work to rule, involving nurses focusing on direct patient care and setting aside non-direct care roles that was due to take place next week, has been deferred pending the outcome of the WRC process."
