Two thousand health service workers are being offered more than £3 million in compensation for irregular recruiting procedures adopted by the new Eastern Regional Health Authority.
To overcome problems in recruiting and retaining staff, the ERHA appointed 20 people at the top of the relevant pay scales, passing over hundreds of existing personnel.
As a result, 1,500 IMPACT staff took industrial action over the past two weeks, resulting in disruption to services and the cancellation of outpatient clinics. The staff are now being offered a compensation package estimated to be worth between £3 million and £4 million.
IMPACT's assistant general secretary, Mr Sean McHugh, said industrial action had been suspended to allow balloting.
The terms were reached after protracted negotiations at the Labour Relations Commission. Mr McHugh said they were being recommended for acceptance. Nevertheless, he added, "Members are still very angry at what had happened, and part of the settlement provides for the establishment of monitoring procedures to ensure it never happens again".
All 2,000 staff in related grades within the ERHA area will receive a training credit payment of £1,000 immediately, plus an extra day's annual leave under the proposals. More than 100 ERHA staff will receive promotions. Grants to staff undertaking academic courses are to be increased from 50 per cent of the cost to 100 per cent.
Subsistence rates for staff working outside normal hours are to be raised from £2.50p a day to £9. Management has also agreed to be bound by the outcome of a review of long-service increments for staff. This could cost a further £100,000 a year.
The ERHA director of communications, Ms Maureen Browne, said the settlement was within the terms of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, the authority's main priority. The package would bring rates within the ERHA area in line with best practice in other health board regions and related sectors.