FOR Christine, the assumption that Filipinos working in Ireland are automatically well-off because they earn in euros misses much of the story. The exchange rate may look favourable from the Philippines, she said, but it does not show the cost of living, financial commitments, family responsibilities back home or the sacrifices that come with migration.
Christine, a physical therapy graduate of San Pedro College in Davao City, moved to Ireland after meeting Ronan, an engineer who lives there. Like many Filipino graduates, she saw working abroad as a chance to build a better future. Her experience sits within a wider reality for migrant nurses: opportunity and professional growth can come with high living costs, demanding shifts and distance from family.
That gap between expectation and reality has come into sharper focus as nurses and other public-sector workers in Ireland press for better pay. The nationwide strike on October 14, 2026, disrupted hospitals and other public services. Workers were seeking a new pay agreement after the previous deal expired in June, with unions arguing that rising prices had eroded the value of wages.
A second 24-hour strike planned for October 21 has since been suspended. On October 16, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ Public Services Committee agreed to defer the action after the government and unions agreed to a process aimed at opening formal negotiations. Talks at the Workplace Relations Commission were scheduled to begin on Monday, October 19. The suspension is not a settlement: work-to-rule actions and some union directives remain in place as negotiations proceed.
Siptu, or the Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union, was among the unions involved in the dispute.
More than 300,000 public-sector workers, including healthcare workers, teachers and civil servants, took part nationwide.
For a Filipino healthcare worker who joined the picket line, the decision to stop work brought sadness as well as relief.
“None of us woke up wanting to walk away from our work or step back from our patients,” Christine said. But with rent, bills, and groceries rising while pay negotiations stalled, workers felt they had reached a breaking point. Seeing employees from different services stand together was a reminder that they were not carrying the pressure alone.
The strain is especially clear on understaffed shifts.
Jose, a nurse with 25 years of experience in Ireland, said that when a colleague calls in sick, the remaining staff must absorb the extra work.
Agency staff can help fill gaps, but in specialist settings, unfamiliarity with patients and routines can create additional challenges.
Elisa, nurse, described caring for eight to 11 patients while working with too few staff. When nurses ask for extra help, management may say there is no budget for agency workers, yet expectations for quality and efficiency of care remain unchanged.
“When a shift is short-handed, the work doesn’t stop; it just falls onto fewer shoulders,” one healthcare worker said. The added pressure can take a physical and emotional toll, even as nurses try to protect patients’ dignity and provide the care they need.
Staff shortages, Christine said, affect nurses both physically and mentally. Burnout has become difficult to ignore, and it is understandable that some leave the profession or look for work elsewhere. She said safe working environments require realistic nurse-to-patient ratios, adequate staffing and protection from verbal or physical abuse. Healthcare institutions, she argued, must put people before profit.
Ireland can offer Filipino nurses professional development, employment protections and a salary that is higher than what many could earn at home. But those benefits must be weighed against housing, food, utilities, transport and taxes.
Christine estimated that 50% to 60% of a salary can go toward everyday expenses, depending on a worker’s circumstances. Her account is a reminder that a salary converted into pesos does not, by itself, reveal how comfortably someone lives.
The picture is not entirely bleak.
Nurses who have spent years in Ireland described professional growth, supportive colleagues, friendships, and the ability to help relatives in the Philippines.
Ruben, a nurse who has lived there for 26 years, said life was difficult at first but improved with persistence and family support. Others stressed that overseas work can bring a more secure future, even if it demands long shifts and missed family occasions.
Still, the image of the wealthy overseas worker persists. Relatives may see remittances, holidays or photographs without seeing the bills, taxes, loneliness and family events missed along the way. As one healthcare worker put it, leaving home is not an escape from hard work; it means taking on a different burden for the people left behind.
The strike also raised a question for Ireland’s health service: how can it recruit and retain skilled nurses while ensuring hospitals have enough staff to provide safe, timely care? For Filipino nurses, the answer matters not only to their working lives but also to the future they hoped to build when they crossed borders.
For Elisa, safer working conditions are central to that answer. Proper staffing, she said, is essential to meeting patients’ needs and maintaining quality care. When nurses are stretched beyond their capacity, they become more vulnerable to distress and burnout. Institutions and industry leaders, she said, should prioritise people over profit.
Asked whether success abroad means meeting other people’s expectations, Christine said she has learned to define it on her own terms.
“For the sake of my own peace of mind and mental well-being, I have learned to live my life according to my own circumstances and priorities rather than trying to meet other people’s expectations. I cannot constantly prove that I am successful by meeting an image that others have created for me.”
“For me, success is not about showing off what I can afford or trying to impress people. It is about being able to provide for my family, fulfil my responsibilities, maintain my own well-being, and find contentment in the life I have worked hard to build.”
Meanwhile, an Irish national who requested anonymity echoed the sentiments of Filipino nurses working in Ireland.
He said the country's healthcare system was under severe strain, with nurses often bearing the brunt of frustrations from patients and their families. However, he said Filipino nurses stood out for their excellent reputation for being both professional and friendly.
“Industrial action is typically a measure of last resort. As a member of the public, I think the strike is valid and fair. If only to compel the Irish government to take the problems in the healthcare system more seriously and to start meaningful negotiations. I believe the Irish public broadly supports the nurses' strike,” he said.