Reach Insights Press Release

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12th February 2019

Following Nursing Unions’ suspension of a planned three-day strike, research results suggest 74% of people in Ireland would continue to back further strike action by nurses

Support for strikes has increased in recent weeks, from 64% to 71%

69% feel the Government is most responsible for the current situation

Almost one in five personally affected by the strike

On Monday afternoon the Labour Court intervened in the ongoing dispute over pay and working conditions for nurses. This has seen the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) as well as the Psychiatric Nurses Association suspend industrial action planned for this week.

A nationally representative survey of 1001 people carried out by iReach has found that sympathy for nurses and midwives has increased over the last number of weeks, with 71% of those asked supporting strike action compared to 64% from late January.

Additionally, the favoured resolution of almost three quarters of respondents (74%) is for the INMO to continue to strike until their pay demands are met. Similarly, 79% of people would like to see the Government bring any strikes to an end by meeting the pay demands of the INMO.

On both of these resolutions supporting the position of nurses, females are far more sympathetic to nurses and midwives than males (79% vs 69% & 85% vs 73%) which is very much in keeping with the results of a previous survey by iReach.

For those who do not support continued strike action by nurses, 60% say that a pay rise for nurses will lead to similar demands from other public sector employees, an argument often cited by the Government during this dispute.

However, 69% of all respondents feel that the Government is most responsible for the current situation, with Minister for Health Simon Harris next on 32% and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at 28%. One in four place the blame primarily with the INMO (25%).

18% of people in Ireland say that they have been personally affected by the strike.

About iReach Insights

iReach Insights provides a range of research and market intelligence services in Ireland and Europe. iReach has built a Consumer Decisions Research Panel of 40,000 members in Ireland, delivering robust research insights. The survey questions were included in the Nationally Representative iReach Consumer Decisions Omnibus run between the 24^th January and the 31st January and has a 3% Confidence Interval and 95% Confidence Level.

Questions asked of participants:

Do you support the strike action by Irish Nurses and Midwives which is set to continue through February?

Why do you not support the strike action?

Who do you feel is most responsible for the current situation with the strikes taking place?

What would you like to see the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) do now?

What would you like to see the Government do now?

Have you been personally affected by the strike? 

iReach Insights Limited – Temple Hall, Temple Road, Blackrock, CO. Dublin, IRELAND.

iReach Managing Director: Oisin Byrne
T: 01-214 3740 or email: PR@ireachhq.com