The Interim Report of the Commission on Nursing concentrates on professional issues, but its findings have implications for nurses' pay and working conditions.
It makes no specific recommendations but identifies early retirement as a key grievance. This will have cost implications for the Government if the final report of the commission recommends that it be addressed.
The report: "Nurses believed an inequity existed between the years of service required for those in the psychiatric service (who can retire at 55) and the years required by other disciplines within the nursing profession.
"It was reported that following 20 years' service as a psychiatric nurse, each year worked thereafter reckoned two years' service for superannuation purposes." In most cases, because of a combination of the marriage bar, working abroad or in temporary positions before achieving permanent posts, general nurses rarely have enough service to retire before 65.
As their pensions are based on gross earnings in the last three years before retirement, this puts undue pressure on them to maximise weekend- and night-duty earnings at a time when they are least able to cope with the stress involved.
The Government has so far resisted demands from nurses for retirement with a full pension at 55. Only psychiatric nurses, gardai and prison officers have early retirement, and granting the concession to nurses could lead to follow-on claims from other public service workers.
The report also records widespread dissatisfaction among nurses for having to "act up" over long periods because of slowness in filling promotional posts. Other grievances with possible pay implications include the failure of the health services to give recognition for service abroad, when nurses are given permanent posts, and the lack of financial reward for nurses when they acquire additional qualifications related to their job. In contrast, teachers receive substantial allowances for postgraduate degrees.
The report says that many nurses would also like access to job-share arrangements, permanent part-time work and other more family-friendly measures. Again the introduction of such rosters would probably require the recruitment of significant numbers of extra staff.
Lower annual leave entitlements than many other professions have been found to be another grievance on which feelings run high. It remains to be seen if the final report of the commission makes recommendations on this and other cost-incurring measures.