MORE than 3,500 paramedics and social workers have voted by nine to one to accept a Labour Court settlement to their pay dispute.
The settlement provides increases worth between 5.5 per cent and 12.5 per cent.
Another 1,700 radiographers and laboratory technicians are currently balloting on similar Labour Court proposals. The result will be known late next month.
If these are also accepted the only remaining groups in the public service who will be submitting pay claims based on traditional links with the nurses will be prison officers and gardai.
The paramedics were the largest group claiming pay parity with nurses.
While they have not received increases as high as the nurses, they have been granted a review which will look at such issues as training, recruitment and management structures.
This could lead to further pay increases. The current package is worth from around £600 at the bottom of the scale to £3,600 at the top.
The Labour Court intervened in the dispute after paramedics and social workers had been on strike for almost a fortnight.
All involved are members of IMPACT. Their salary scales range from £10,000 for a trainee house parent at a residential home for children in care to more than £35,000 for a biochemist principal in a major acute hospital.
Welcoming the result of the ballot yesterday, IMPACT national secretary, Ms Christina Carney, said members clearly believed that "the expert group recommended by the court will deal effectively with the totally inadequate career structure which exists for these highly qualified, experienced and dedicated health professionals".