Limerick East): I apprised the House on 6 February last of the detailed contingency planning arrangements which had been put in place in the event of a nurses' strike, at that time threatened to commence on 10 February. Briefly, health service managers held two meetings, on 14 and 31 January 1997, with the alliance of nursing unions to discuss the broad approach to ensuring that emergency and essential services would be maintained for the duration of a strike. In addition, I met representatives of the alliance on 21 January on the same subject. In tandem with this, management in all health agencies had drawn up detailed contingency plans for their own organisations on the basis of discussions held with local strike committees. Deputies will be aware of developments that have taken place since I last had an opportunity to address the House on this issue.
In view of the threatened strike action by nurses with effect from 10 February 1997, the Labour Court decided to use its powers, under section 26(5) of the Industrial Relations Act, 1990, to carry out an investigation into the reasons for the proposed action. The recommendation of the Labour Court issued on 7 February 1997 and provided for improvements in the package of proposals which had emerged from independent adjudication in September 1996 as follows: in respect of staff nurses, a new ten point salary scale to a maximum of £20,350 in addition to one long service increment of £650 for nurses who are on the maximum of the scale for three years — this is effectively a maximum scale of £21,000; the deletion of proposed lower entry points on the staff nurse scale; improvements in three areas in respect of early retirement — that up to 200 nurses per annum be allowed to retire at age 55, subject to 35 years service; the age for application for the previously proposed pre-retirement initiative be reduced from 57 to 55; the pensions commission give priority to the nurses' pensions claims; and that temporary nurses be allowed to progress to the seventh point of the incremental scale — incremental progression for temporary nurses and other health service grades has hitherto been capped at the fifth point of the scale.
The court also recommended that 2,000 temporary nurses be offered permanent positions. This is an increase of 300 from the previously proposed number of 1,700. It further recommended that a commission on nursing "become a reality within one month from acceptance of the Court's recommendation".
The present position is that the unions decided to defer strike action, pending a ballot of their members, on the revised proposals incorporating the additional gains recommended by the Labour Court. In the case of SIPTU this decision was taken on 8 February 1997. In the case of the Irish Nurses Organisation, Psychiatric Nurses Association and IMPACT the decision was taken on 9 February 1997. No recommendation on the revised proposals is being made by the unions.
The Government has accepted, in full, the terms of the Labour Court recommendation, including the establishment of the commission on nursing for which chairmanship and terms of reference have been agreed. It is my earnest hope that there will be a favourable outcome to the ballots currently taking place, enabling us to proceed with implementation of the pay increases due and to allow the next phase of the process of addressing grievances in the profession to commence through the work of the commission. The contingency planning arrangements drawn up for the threatened strike on 10 February remain in place. My Department continues to be in direct contact with all of the affected agencies in relation to contingency plans and regional centres have been established to provide an ongoing flow of information on a daily basis to the Department. These arrangements will remain in place until such time as agreement to the terms of the Labour Court recommendation is confirmed by the unions representing nurses.
Regarding the concerns of retired nurses in relation to their pension entitlements under the deal, it is the Government's intention that retired nurses and other public servants will benefit from the local bargaining clause of the PCW pay agreement.
The pay proposals developed to date involve an element of restructuring, as provided for under the local bargaining clause of the PCW pay agreement. This applies to nurses and many other groups such as civil servants, clerical and administrative grades in the health boards and local authorities, teachers, gardaí etc. who have or are concluding agreements under the restructuring option of the PCW.
Generally speaking, the agreements emerging do not provide for uniform increases across groups and, in many cases, even within grades. This complicates the position regarding adjustments to pensions, and this question will now have to be considered in respect of all affected groups across the public service.
Detailed discussions on this issue have yet to take place. When this general policy issue has been resolved, my Department will be in a position to clarify the adjustments to be made for retired health service staff, including nurses.
