Crowe supports nurses and midwives in fight against registration increase

Plans by the Nurses and Midwives Board of Ireland (NMBI) to increase the retention fee for nurses and midwives has been described by Dublin South West TD Seán Crowe as unfair and said it will place an extra financial burden on already hard pressed frontline staff. Nurses and Midwives are opposing an increase to a new registration fee being sought by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).The cost for registering for 2015 is set to increase by 50% from €100 to €150.

Deputy Seán Crowe

“The plan by the NMBI to increase the retention fee for nurses and midwives from €100 to €150 in 2015 is unacceptable.

“These are frontline staff working at the coalface in a chaotic health service that is underfunded, understaffed and badly managed. The fee for registering for 2013 stood at €88, meaning that nurses and midwifes have faced a massive 70% increase over the past two years.

“It is very unfair of the NMBI to impose this increase penal rate on nurses and midwives who have to register with the Board if they want to work in any of the Irish hospitals.

“These workers, who are mostly female, have already suffered significant loss in earnings as result of the government’s austerity policies.

“They have had to endure cuts to their take home pay, the imposition of the universal social charge and other government imposed levies.

“Sinn Féin supports nurses and midwives in their opposition to this unjust increase”.