While most nurses to whom The Irish Times spoke yesterday were reluctant to comment on the Labour Court pay proposals until they had more details, many of those who did were disappointed by the proposed settlement.
Leaving the Mater Hospital in Dublin at the end of her working day, staff nurse Ms Jacqueline Scott said most of her colleagues were relying on information they had gleaned from radio news bulletins. She said many would await further details of the proposed settlement from their unions before making up their minds.
"The INO seems to be confident that the deal will be accepted but from what I've heard today, I don't think it will," she said.
Ms Scott qualified nine years ago and has been in her present position for five years, but feels the deal offers little reward for her experience. She said the feeling among her colleagues was that the senior grades would be happy with the deal but there wasn't enough for other nurses.
"Nurses outside Dublin might be happy with the lump sum but it won't go far here where the cost of living is higher," she said. Her recently qualified colleague, Ms Aileen Lynch, agreed.
"Younger nurses won't be happy with £1,250. When it's taxed, it won't be much more than £600 - that wouldn't even pay two months rent in Dublin. They need to come up with a deal that will cover nurses across the board," she said.
"The senior grades deserve what they're being offered but younger people who have done extra study deserve some recognition too. The nurses who get extra qualifications on their own time, and pay for them with their own money, should be rewarded," she said.
Another nurse at the hospital who did not wish to be named said many of her colleagues were in militant mood. "It's like they're paying us off to shut us up. A lot of nurses want to go all the way to a strike," she said.
Staff nurse Ms Mary Tynan, who is secretary of the Beaumont Hospital INO branch, was also angry about the Labour Court's pay award, describing it as "30 pieces of silver".
Ms Tynan who has been qualified for 25 years, said there was nothing in the deal for staff nurses, who make up about 20,000 of the State's 27,500 health service nurses.
She earns £21,000 for working a 39-hour week and, under the recommendation, stands to get an annual pre-tax special unit allowance of £1,510 paid over 12 months, as well as a pre-tax £1,250 lump sum payment and four extra annual leave days.
Ms Tynan objected to both the detail of the recommendation and the tone, which, she said, was patronising to her profession. "I've read it from cover to cover. We are not going to sell out our profession for 30 pieces of silver," she said. Mr Joe Cassidy, a junior sister, was not pleased with the proposal to increase his pre-tax salary from £23,780 to £26,174. Mr Cassidy, who is also an INO member, said his union had sought a salary of £30,000 to £31,000 for junior sister ranks, "although even then you'd still be overworked and underpaid". Mr Cassidy does not work weekends or nights because he is acting up as a senior sister. He is in charge of 45 staff members in a casualty department which is constantly full, with two patients to each of its 13 cubicles and others lying on trolleys awaiting ward beds.
"If you go to a privatised company and you have someone in charge of a department of about 50 people, I guarantee they'd be getting a lot more than that. No money would pay you for working in these conditions," said Mr Cassidy, who has been a nurse for 13 years.
Another staff nurse, Ms Margaret O'Callaghan, who is a member of SIPTU, said she was insulted by the pay award.