asked the Minister for Health the reason why, in view of the fact that employees of mental hospitals who are classed as servants received the ninth round increases back-dated to 15th January, he has refused to sanction the back-dating of the ninth round increases to psychiatric nurses, who are classed as officers, in the same hospitals beyond 1st February; and whether he will now take steps to ensure that these nurses receive increases retrospective to the same date as other employees.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Psychiatric Nurses' Wage Increase.
2.
It is not correct to suggest that the operative date of the ninth round wage increase in the case of local authority health staffs was differentiated on the basis of the classification of staff as officers or servants.
The operative date in the public service generally was 1st February, 1964. In accordance with long established practice, tradesmen and similar staff in the local health services whose wages are related to local trades rates were granted the increase from the date from which those local trades rates were revised. This class, it should be borne in mind, is a relatively small one.
In the light of the foregoing, I think it will be seen that there would be no justification for the payment of the increase to the psychiatric nurses from an earlier date than applied in the case of the general body of public servants.