Seanad debates

Wednesday, 15 November 2006

7:00 pm

Photo of Batt O'KeeffeBatt O'Keeffe (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I thank Senator McHugh for raising what is a very important issue and I am pleased to have the opportunity to answer the question on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. I welcome the opportunity to outline the position on the issues raised.

Since 1987 the social partnership agreements have helped to maintain a strategic focus on key national priorities and have created and sustained the conditions for employment growth, fiscal stability and the restructuring of the economy to respond to new challenges and opportunities. There has been a dramatic improvement in living standards and the culture of dialogue has served workers, employers and the people very well.

The parties to the previous national agreement, Sustaining Progress, had agreed that the benchmarking exercise was an important initiative in developing a better system of pay determination in the public sector. The parties further agreed that this process was an appropriate way of determining pay rates in the future. Following on from this, a new public service benchmarking body, PSBB, was established on 13 January 2006 by the Minister for Finance. The new PSBB is the mechanism for the determination of the pay of public servants, including nurses and midwives.

Members of the Irish Nurses Organisation, INO, and the Psychiatric Nurses Association, PNA, had accepted pay increases under Sustaining Progress which endorsed benchmarking as the means of addressing claims concerning pay and conditions of employment. However, the INO and the PNA have since decided not to participate in the current benchmarking process.

Prior to the expiry of Sustaining Progress, the INO and the PNA lodged eight cost-increasing claims with the Health Service Executive employers' agency for improvements in pay and conditions. The eight claims were for a pay parity claim with social care and child care workers; a 35-hour week for nurses, without a corresponding reduction in pay; pay parity claim with therapist grades; introduction of a Dublin living allowance; increased shift premium payments; introduction of a preceptorship allowance; a review of clinical nurse specialist and advance nurse practitioner posts; and days lost during the 1999 strike to be reckoned for pension purposes.

An initial estimate of the ongoing cost of the claims is more than €800 million per annum and this does not include increased pension costs. In addition, the unions are seeking retrospection estimated at €566 million. It is also estimated that in excess of 4,000 additional nurses would be required to make up the shortfall if the working week were to be reduced from 39 to 35 hours.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.