Employers' association call for nurses' union and government to sort out pending issues

The Malta Employers’ Association has said services provided by nurses are listed in the Employment and Industrial Relations Act as essential services and that the Malta Union of Nurses and Midwives should "not resort to actions which in any way affect the welfare of patients."

The MUMN has said it gave clear instructions to renal unit nurses not to put patients’ safety at risk during the industrial actions. The union says Mater Dei management had ordered nurses to care for four patients, rather than three for each nurse, “with all the risk such an instruction carries.”

The MEA said that even if the MUMN is abiding by the staff limits as specified in the EIRA, "it has the moral obligation towards patients who should not be caught in a crossfire."

The Association said it appealed to both government and the union to seek a solution to any pending issues round a table. "In particular, there is the immediate situation regarding the employment of expatriate nurses to tackle the current shortage of nurses, and medium term solutions that are required to ensure an adequate supply of qualified nurses to cater for the increased demand in future.

"In any case, both parties carry a responsibility to place the patients’ interests first and foremost. ‘If the parameters set by the EIRA do not guarantee a continuation of the service to patients, then they should be revised to avoid a repetition of what is currently happening in our hospitals," the MEA stated.

The union said renal unit nurses have complained that this was not ethically correct for them to take on the extra care of other patients. “In recent years, these nurses were always entrusted with the care of three patients each. In the last weeks, due to a shortage in nurses, they have been ordered to handle the care of four patients each. The MUMN cannot accept such a situation. Mistakes in this area carries disciplinary and legal liability,” MUMN president Paul Pace said.