Pay claims by nurses could add an additional £200 million to the public service pay bill, hospital managers said yesterday. The Labour Court is expected to issue recommendations next month on a variety of claims by the Irish Nurses' Organisation. Yesterday, the court heard two hours of submissions from the INO and the Health Service Employers' Union. Mr Gerard Barry, HSEU chief executive, told the court the claims could add £100 million to the nurses' pay bill on top of a further £100 million sought in a separate hearing in October.
Mr Liam Doran of the INO said last night he did not accept the "total validity" of the employers' figures. He agreed the final sum would be substantial but said the nurses' case was entirely justified.
The two sides are arguing about recommendations in the report of the Nursing Commission. One recommendation concerned extra payments for professional qualifications held by nurses. But the nurses presented a claim in the Labour Court last October for increases in eight allowances, not just those applying to professional qualifications.