Being surgeons for years, we fully appreciate the work, dedication and empathy that nurses and midwives show daily. It is they who stay the course when the going gets tough in the theatres, intensive care units, emergency department, clinics and, wards. We also fully appreciate that nurses, together with other healthcare professionals, have a privilege few other professionals have: that of making a significant difference in the lives of so many people when it matters most. A lot has been said about the agreement government is negotiating with the MUMN. A lot has also been done to try to twist what is acceptable, what is reasonable and what is fair. Industrial action was taken by the union, which led to predictably dangerous consequences for the health of men, women and children. Throughout it all, as ministers and representatives of the people, we remained more or less silent. We chose the road of dialogue rather than rabble rousing. Even when our offer to the union was publicly misrepresented, distorted and maligned at the cost of the truth, we continued to prefer this course. The MUMN is even refusing to attend conciliatory meetings when it is obliged to do so, and yet we...
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