Additional Needs

Nurses Strike

Posted by Ger Renton on 1st February 2019 Advice & Support

Share this article

Currently our nurses are planning a strike here in Ireland, on the 30th of January.

Why?

Well, that depends on who you speak to.

My understanding is that the nurses want their pay restored to what it was before the economy crashed and they want better working conditions meaning that the government and our Health Service Executive (HSE) start hiring the correct amount of nurses.

Nurses are defined in the dictionary as - a person trained to care for the sick or infirm, especially on a hospital setting.

Oh but to me and so many others nurses are far more than that.

They are the soft embrace no doctor can give,

The warmth on a lonely hospital corridor,

The shoulder to weep upon,

The calming voice in unimaginable circumstance,

They are the explainers,

Breaking down the doctors complicated words,

They are the hand holders,

The mothers of “it’s all ok love”

They are the familiar face,

The last one you see before surgery and the first one to welcome you back,

They are the obs takers,

The note makers and the ones doctors rely on to help carry their load.

They are mothers, fathers, sister, brothers who miss their own; but would never show it upon their faces,

They can be found in homes, schools, respite centers, hospices and hospitals too of course,

They are glue, the gel, the friends we make on our toughest days,

They are special; a job many would find hard to do let alone embrace,

There isn’t a fair wage to acknowledge their work - for no one can put a price on the nurses hand that holds yours as a family member takes their last breath.

To our wonderful nurses- thank you for all you do.

Many of us stand with you.