THE difference between the salaries of nurses and social-care workers is one of the main issues at the heart of the nurses' industrial dispute, with some social-care workers paid more than some nurses. The INO says this is an 'anomaly' and needs to be addressed. The Sunday Tribune this weekend spoke to a social-care worker in Dublin city who deals with teenagers in a residential-care home. Here, she tells of the work she does.

"These kids come from horrendous backgrounds and most of them are very difficult to deal with, " she said. "Even though they're teenagers, some of them have the emotional maturity of a two-year-old. It can be a dangerous job. You do have the risk of being attacked. I was attacked. A lot of these kids are taking drugs and alcohol and it can be very unpredictable. If it happens, you deal with it. Some people have to leave the area completely. Others are okay after counselling.

"There have been a lot more instances of physical abuse of social-care workers because children now have a much bigger range of issues, and constant access to drugs. But another major problem that people don't talk about at all is the emotional abuse. I could start a 25-hour shift and for every minute I am there I will be subjected to absolute abuse from these children, because they don't know how to relate to you. They cannot communicate. So they shout at you and insult you and use derogatory terms the entire time. It's one of the hardest parts of the job.

"You're not there to judge them or discriminate against them, but it's a huge challenge to pull back and try to understand where they're coming from. My job is to teach these children a new way of behaving and communicating.

"I work in 25-hour shifts. I start at 11am, and keep going until 12 at night. Then I do a seven-hour 'sleep-in' in the house. During this time, I'm on call. Often, I'm woken up because something has happened. But while I get a small allowance for these hours, I don't get paid. The following day, I start work again from 7am until the end of the day.

"There are no official tea breaks or lunch breaks. I have access to food and coffee but I have no break.

According to my payroll, I work a 39-hour week. In reality, I work a 53-hour week and a lot of the time this includes weekends. It's hard on your personal life because, as much as you try not to let the job intrude on your life, some of it just gets to you."