Sir, - Nurses are no doubt the hardest-working people in the public service. It is unfortunate, therefore, that they are caught in a pernicious wage relativity proviso, which means that if they get justice, this will spark a rash of pay claims across the public sector. That in turn could cause unrest in the private sector and wreck the national economy.
The Minister for Health is an intelligent and decent man, and one wonders if he could compensate the nurses in a way that would not set the public sector alight.
Possible approaches might be:
(a) to give them concessions like the teachers received, by reducing the qualifying period needed for full pension rights;
(b) to give them a shorter working week;
(c) or some kind of a bonus that would not be passed on.
Would it be possible that, in appreciation of the grave responsibility and demanding nature of their work, they could be given tax concessions on part of their salaries?
At present, authors, artists, and even pop singers are enjoying tax-free incomes. Is not a nurse's contribution more important to our society than some of those?
Nursing is more a vocation than a profession, and one feels that if a serious attempt is made to give those dedicated people certain concessions they will be slow to take the kind of action not in keeping with their noble calling. - Yours, etc.,
Maurice Forde, Botanic Road, Cork.