The talks aimed at averting industrial action by 40,000 nurses failed as a result of disagreements over when a 35-hour week would be introduced and on a claim for a 10 per cent pay increase.
These two issues were prioritised by the the Irish Nurses Organisation and the Psychiatric Nurses Association at the negotiations held with health service management under the aegis of the National Implementation Body (NIB) over the last three weeks.
The NIB said last night there was some agreement between unions and management on issues such as rostering changes, the expanded role of the nurse and greater organisational flexibility that would be required to facilitate such reduced hours. However, there was no agreement when a 35-hour week would be introduced.
The unions also prioritised the elimination of a pay anomaly which saw nurses receive less than some social care grades in the intellectual disability sector.
Informed sources said the social care staff are paid about €500 more than the nurses, but that the unions also wanted to restore a differential that existed between the grades and that this was the basis for the 10 per cent claim.
Some management sources have said the unions sought to use the anomaly issue to secure a pay claim for all nurses.
It has insisted the pay issue can only be addressed through the public service benchmarking body.
