Nurses expected to reject Government pay proposals in ballot

Nurses are expected to reject Government pay proposals in a ballot to be counted on Tuesday.

If the new pay proposals are turned down by members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), its executive is likely to decide on whether to hold a further vote on industrial action.

The result of a separate ballot of members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) on the pay proposals is expected to be announced on Wednesday.

A special delegate conference of the INMO last month had urged members to reject the new proposals.

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The Government last month - based on recommendations of the Public Service Pay Commission - put forward a €20 million package of measures aimed at dealing with recruitment and retention problems in some areas of the health service.

The Public Service Pay Commission had rejected calls by nurses for an across-the-board pay rise. It found there was no generalised recruitment and retention problem in respect of nursing and midwifery, but that some difficulties existed in meeting workforce requirements in specific areas.

Under the proposals, a location allowance of about €1,850, paid to nurses in 13 specific parts of the health service, would be increased by 20 per cent and extended to those in maternity units. The INMO maintained this rise would be worth €7 per week before tax.

The proposals would also see a specialist allowance of €2,791 per year, paid to nurses and midwives who acquired post-graduate qualifications, increased by 20 per cent. The INMO maintained that the €558 rise in this allowance was the equivalent of €11 a week before tax.

Under the proposals staff nurses and midwives would also be eligible to attain the grade of senior staff nurse/midwife after 17 rather than the current 20 years post qualification experience.

The Government has estimated that about 20,000 nurses could benefit from the pay proposals.

In addition the Government has maintained that some nurses would also benefit from a separate initiative aimed at ending the lower pay rates in place for staff across the public service who were recruited after 2011.

Some nurses could benefit from both of these Government pay proposals. However, others would see no improvement in their pay at all from the initiatives.

The INMO special delegate conference and its executive council urged members to reject the proposals as they did not believe they would solve the nursing and midwifery shortages or assist in the retention of nurses and midwives.