Operating theatre nurses call off Monday strike

The industrial action called by operating theatre nurses has been called off after an agreement to add 10 extra nurses was reached.

The agreement was reached following talks with health authorities, as patients’ interests were prioritised, Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne tweeted.

Directive for strike action by theatre #nurses withdrawn by MUMN after talks with #health authorities. Thank you to all concerned for keeping #patients’ interests foremost.

— Chris Fearne (@chrisfearne) February 2, 2018

More nurses will be deployed if the 10 prove to not be enough or if the proposed management system is not finalised by the end of the month and implemented by 1 March.

The system is expected to kick off on 1 March, when the first five nurses are to be positioned. Another five will be deployed on 15 March. Nurses will be briefed on the new rosters and system in the coming days.

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) had initially registered an industrial dispute which required nurses to be on strike between 7am and 7pm unless another 20 nurses are added to the operating theatres. Nurses were understaffed and complained of exhaustion as operations had increased but the number of nurses remained the same.