Irish nurses' vote "too close to call"; result expected soon

The result of the ballot by Irish nurses on the compromise deal in their dispute is expected shortly. According to RTE News, the ballot is currently described as too close to call. I'm still trying to find a definitive source for the proposals. They seem better than first reported, in that the reduction in the working week to 37.5 comes with no loss of pay (although the media still describe it as "cost-neutral" because it will need to be funded by efficiencies) and significant pay rises. On the downside, the deal includes putting faith in an Independent Commission to examine whether the nurses' claim for a 35-hour week can be met, and much more social partnership stuff with the Labour Court being asked to develop proposals on hours, and a return to benchmarking for the pay element. Clearly the industrial action taken by nurses in Ireland so far has had a dramatic effect - the HSE initially said it would not negotiate, and now there are proposals which go some way towards meeting the nurses' demands. However, there are a lot of strings. I think, if I was a member of the INO or the PNA I would be voting no. Rejecting the deal means a significant upping of the dispute, though, as the HSE have threatened that if nurses reject the deal they will impose a 13% pay cut in response to the continued work-to-rule. We'll know soon.