Ireland has become a ridiculous country. We have seen health insurance hikes, increases in the cost of electricity, the introduction of the abominable Universal Social Charge, car insurance has gone up, interest rates continue to rise, petrol is on the up too. That is a lot of increases. So what has happened to counteract this continuous rise in the cost of living? Nothing. Instead the minimum wage has been cut, social welfare has been cut, the children’s allowance has been cut and there have been widespread redundancies. It is a ridiculous country really.
When you look rationally at the decision to cut the minimum wage it makes sense. Too many small businesses are struggling. They can not afford to continue to pay the high costs of labour this country has got used to. Businesses are struggling. It makes the headlines every day. Chambers Ireland welcomed the cut in support of its members. It was especially important to the tourism and hospitality sectors which are finding life extremely difficult and are just about coping at present. That is all well and good but it is the ordinary citizens of this country who are struggling the most. They can not meet the most basic of payments such as the grocery bill, rent, heating and lighting.
The cost of everything must come down to justify the cuts outlined above.
And now the Government parties in their wisdom, in one of their last devastating acts before they depart the Dáil, are to phase out the payment of fourth year nurses and midwives until they are forced to work for nothing by 2015. When I first heard of this move, I was on leave from work, not as clued into the world around me as I might usually be, and I shrugged my shoulders and said I never got paid for work experience. Teachers do not get paid for work experience. It was far too easy to be flippant. I did not take time back then to try to understand just how devastating a cut this will be. Fourth year pre-registration nurses and midwives who replace qualified staff on wards for the final nine months of their degree programmes and work 36-hour shifts every week, will be forced to do so for nothing. I do not even work a 36-hour week myself, yet these essential members of the health workforce will have to do so for nothing.
This Government has devalued the important role student nurses play. They do not walk around like hippy students shadowing a qualified nurse for nine months. They actually replace fully qualified staff on wards, are part of the roster and are assigned duties.
I have had first hand experience of this myself while in the labour ward. I had the privilege of being looked after by a wonderfully, caring, student nurse, who definitely was not there to make up the numbers. She was hands on and an essential part of the team who delivered our baby girl that day. She and her colleagues can not be expected to take on such immense responsibility without remuneration. I am so glad I actually woke up and realised what the Government is trying to implement in time to give some small offering of help in the nurses battle to have this decision revoked.
There was a healthy turnout at the INMO lunchtime protest at Mayo General Hospital on Wednesday and the public must get behind their protest march which is to take place on February 16 from Parnell Square, Dublin to the Department of Health. Just because it does not affect you, does not mean it is not wrong. We must support all of those who are being crucified by this Government. We do not want to live in a ridiculous country.
