Castlebar nursing home to close

Castlebar nursing home to close


40 jobs to go at Sisters of Mercy facility

Edwin McGreal

The Cuan Chaitriona Nursing Home in Castlebar is set to close by the end of June, with the loss of 40 jobs, according to documentation seen by The Mayo News.
The closure would also lead to the 20 residents of the home seeking new centres.
In a letter to each member of staff at facility, the Chairperson of the Mercy Care Western Province, Sr Elizabeth Manning, states that the Sisters of Mercy, who run the nursing home on the grounds of the Castlebar Convent of Mercy, are unable to meet the costs of wage demands.
A Labour Court hearing on February 9 ruled that the Sisters of Mercy were obliged to pay monies due to staff arising out of an ongoing industrial dispute.
However, in her letter to the 40 staff at the home, Sr Manning states that these wage demands leave them with no option but to close.
“The impact of the Labour Court recommendation means that further losses would be put on the nursing home going forward and this is an untenable position. Regrettably a decision has been reached to proceed with the closure of the nursing home. This will be implemented by June 30, 2010. This decision was extremely difficult to reach but we have no other alternative due to the financial circumstances in which we find ourselves.”
However Mayor of Castlebar Cllr Michael Kilcoyne believes that there is a viable future for the home, even if the Labour Court ruling is implemented.
“The cause of the dispute was that the Sisters of Mercy said they had not enough money to pay the wage agreements but the assessor who inspected the home on behalf of the Labour Court said there was enough money.
”The big issue here is not only the loss of 40 jobs but that those people resident at the centre would have to leave what is essentially their home. I am very disappointed that the Sisters of Mercy have already furnished the families of residents with a list of alternative nursing homes. They should have more regard for people who they are threatening to move from their home. One would expect the Sisters of Mercy, as a charity organisation, to act with more compassion than a corporation who might only worry about the bottom line.”
The Sisters of Mercy were due to meet yesterday with staff to discuss the plans for closure. Michael Kilcoyne has written to Sr Elizabeth Manning, offering his services as a mediator.
News of the closure, while not yet fully in the public domain, has caused deep shock in the county town and, indeed right across the county. Cuan Chaitrions had established a reputation as a high quality nursing home.