The nurses and midwives forming the INMO’s Executive Council today (Wednesday) recommended that members vote to accept proposals aimed at resolving their recent strike.
The Labour Court has recommended in the INMO’s favour on the disputed parts of the proposed new contract for staff nurses and midwives. Their recommendation:
- Recognises that nursing should be “put in a position to lead on [healthcare] reforms”;
- Removes proposals for 4-, 6- and 8-hour shifts – no change to current arrangements;
- Removes proposals for changes in workplace locations mid-shift – no change to current arrangements;
- Rules out proposals for “split shifts”, where shifts would be divided across the day;
- Guarantees that new nurses and midwives can reach the higher “Enhanced Practice” salary scale after 1 year and 16 weeks.
The INMO Executive will now move to ballot members, beginning on the 8th of April.
The deal members will be voting on includes:
- A new “Enhanced Practice” salary scale, which sees staff nurses and midwives earn up to €2,439 more each year in their career, and get to the maximum point faster;
- €5m in funding for safe staffing levels in 2019, with extra funding in 2020 and 2021;
- An independent expert group to look at pay for nurses and midwives in managerial grades;
- Allowances expanded to nurses in surgical and medical areas* and to those in maternity services in hospitals or the community;
- A 20% increase in those location and qualification allowances, by €372 to €2,230 and by €559 to €3,350 respectively.
- Speedier pay increases for new nurses and midwives, who will skip the second increment;
- Promotion to Senior Staff Nurse/Midwife after 17 years, not the current 20;
- Extra promotion opportunities for staff nurses working in intellectual disability, and for 2% of the nursing/midwifery workforce to be made Advanced Nurse/Midwife Practitioners;
- New or increased allowances for all Public Health Nurses;
- Support for education and training.
INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said:
This Labour Court recommendation is a total vindication for what the INMO has said about the government’s draft contract. The government’s proposals were completely unreasonable and we are glad to see the Court has recognised this. There is no longer anything to fear in this new contract. The nurses and midwives of our Executive Council have now decided to fully recommend this deal to members. It does not resolve all our issues, but we believe it is a significant step forward for nurses, midwives and patients across Ireland.
This deal gives our health service a real chance to recruit and retain nurses and midwives and compete with international recruiters.
The deal includes safe staffing levels, increases in take-home pay, and more promotional opportunities.
INMO President Martina Harkin-Kelly said:
This is a hard-won deal. The elected Executive Council and I will be recommending that members vote to accept it. This is a good deal for all nurses and midwives and we are confident that the independent expert group will, in phase 2, deliver for our members in managerial roles. I am particularly glad to note the new contract’s provision that nurses and midwives will be in a leading position for the coming healthcare reforms.