Nurses’ union urges members to back new public pay deal

The executive council of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) is to urge its members to support the proposed new agreement on public service pay restoration in a forthcoming ballot.

The INMO said its council had decided to recommend acceptance of the proposed new Landowne Road deal although it believed its contents were “minimalist and could have been much more positive”.

The union, which represents nearly 40,000 nurses and midwives, said it welcomed and supported the structuring of proposed agreement in a way that benefited the lower paid.

"The executive council also noted the initiatives and processes agreed as part of the proposals including the freeze on the annual fees levied by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) and the requirement to measure all hours actually worked by nurses and midwives."

“The organisation will now commence a very detailed, nationwide and comprehensive, process of engagement with members, involving information meetings and workplace ballots. This process will commence in the week beginning Monday, June 29th, 2015, with the outcome of the workplace ballots being known on Thursday, July 30th, 2015.”

The proposed Lansdowne Road agreement has now been backed by the executives of a number of large trade unions such as Siptu, Impact, the Irish National Teachers Organisation and now the INMO.

The executives of the Teachers' Union of Ireland and the Irish Medical Organisation have urged members to reject the proposed deal in forthcoming ballots.

The Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants has expressed its unhappiness at the proposed agreement but is still consulting with members.

Under the proposed deal, most staff in the public service would receive an increase in earnings of about €1,000 next year through changes in the application of the public service pension levy as well as a further €1,000 salary rise in 2017.

However the € 1,000 salary increase in 2017 will only apply to staff earning less than €65,000. This has proved to be a source of contention for unions representings relatively higher-paid staff, although their members will benefit from pay restoration measures set out in the previous Haddington Road agreement.

The fate of the proposed agreement will be determined ultimately by the aggregate vote of all public service unions which are affiliated to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.

Because of their size, if the deal was backed by members of Siptu, Impact and the INTO it would be be virtually certain of being endorsed by the public services committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions .

However the Teachers’Union of Ireland has said it will not be bound by any aggregate vote of public service unions.