Hundreds of nurses in more senior grades would receive special pay increases of just over 3 per cent under new proposals put forward by an independent expert group established by the Government.
The increases would form part of a process 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.
An expert review body on nursing which was established by the Government last summer considered this issue as part of its first module of work.
It is understood that in recent days the review group has proposed that the salaries of nurses in these higher grades would need to increase by just over 3 per cent to restore the pay differential.
Bargaining process
The proposed increases would be separate to the 1 per cent rise scheduled for October 2021 and a further 1 per cent rise in October 2022 set out in a new agreement for most public service staff which was reached between the Government and trade unions last Friday.
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 €237million 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.
The Government is already under pressure over demands by trade unions and the Opposition to pay student nurses in hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic.
