Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation calls for a boycott of second class contracts for new nurse graduates

Brussels, 1 February 2013

EPSU supports the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) in its call for a boycott of jobs offered to the 2012 nurse graduates as part of the “New Graduate Jobs initiative” of the Irish government. Announced by the Irish Department of Health in December 2012, it consists of 1,000 contract posts (fix-term contracts for a duration of 2 years) to newly qualified nurses at 80% of pay, corresponding to 21,766 €, just above minimum wage. If implemented this will mean a pay cut of between 6,000 and 11,000 € per annum from their starting salary.

The boycott has been successful to-date. On 17 January 2013 the Irish Association of Hospital Employers, Health Service Executive (HSE), announced that they would extend the closing date for the jobs and would also open the positions for 2010 and 2011 nurse graduates.

EPSU supports INMO's opposition to and rejection of this Irish government initiative, carried on by HSE. It means a full-blown attack on nurses and midwives with the intention to set up a "two-class system" of pay and working conditions for graduated nurses to the detriment of young workers.

Please visit INMO's website to learn more about their advocacy and campaign work: INMO's Equal Pay Campaign/Graduate Recruitment Initiative Opposition Campaign. A letter, addressed to HSE, has been signed in the meantime by more than 1,400 nurse graduates. Watch the photos of the graduates protest and their rally on 1 February 2013.

Read the letter of support by Vårdförbundet, the Swedish Association of Health Professionals


Read the letter of support by the Icelandic Nurses Association (INA)