Psychiatric nurses at a Galway unit are set to undertake industrial action unless conditions improve at the facility.
Minister of State Kathleen Lynch is being requested to intervene ahead of proposed industrial action at the Acute Psychiatric Unit at UCHG.
Staff there have experienced 36 incidents of assault thus far this year, and the Psychiatric Nurses Association says this is due to chronic and severe understaffing at the facility.
Damien Conlon, Chairman of the PNA branch in Galway, has stated that the industrial action can be averted if certain conditions are met.
He said: “First of all we want the threat of sanctions against nurses that stood out on health and safety grounds on the 22nd of April lifted, before we even entertain going into talks. We are not going to go in under the threat of sanctions to nurses.”
“Secondly, we want a comprehensive solution which will include core staffing levels for that unit, and if there are one-to-one specials, that they be provided outside of that core compliment.”