An expert review body has recommended a pay increase of 3.28 per cent for nurses in management grades, it has been confirmed.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) told members on Wednesday that it had now been advised officially of the proposal by the review body.
It said the recommendation would be considered by its executive council in January along with the proposed new public service pay agreement which provides for a 1 per cent rise in October 2021 and another in October 2022, as well as a new mechanism for sectoral bargaining to deal with issues involving particular groups of State employees.
The proposed increases for more senior grade nurses stem from a process established to deal, in part, with the fallout from the settlement of a strike in 2019. This saw the establishment of new, enhanced nurse contracts, with higher salaries for thousands of staff nurses and midwives.
On foot of this settlement, nurses in more senior positions sought higher pay to restore the difference between their salaries and those applying to lower-level posts that existed prior to the strike in 2019.
‘Quantum of difference’
The INMO told members in a bulletin on Wednesday that the initial work of the expert group was to establish the “quantum of difference” to be applied to all grades of nurse/midwifery manager above the newly established grade of enhanced nurse/midwife.
“Put simply, it looked at how much managerial pay should be increased, to be in line with the increases staff nurses and midwives got following the strike.”
The Irish Times reported in mid-December that the expert group was expected to propose that the salaries of nurses in these higher grades would need to increase by just over 3 per cent to restore the pay differential.
The proposed increases are expected to be considered as part of a new sectoral bargaining process for different parts of the public service which is envisaged under the new public service agreement.
The Government has earmarked about €237 million overall under this proposed sectoral bargaining process to deal with awards and claims involving personnel within the various parts of the public service, including health, local authorities, justice, the Civil Service and defence.
