Vol. 521 No. 3
118 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health and Children the measures he has taken, or proposes to take, with regard to issues related to the pay of nurse managers, due to be addressed in the context of the settlement of the nurses' dispute 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16981/00]
The 1999 nurses' pay settlement contained a provision that the pay of promoted grades should be dealt with in a post Partnership 2000 setting. Notwithstanding this commitment, nurse managers benefited from considerable improvements in pay and related conditions of employment on foot of Labour Court recommendations.
The commitment to address the pay of nurse managers in a post Partnership 2000 setting will now be progressed through the benchmarking body to be established under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness – PPF. The terms of the PPF have been accepted by the nursing unions affiliated to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and have been offered to the Psychiatric Nurses' Association.
Discussions are under way with the public services committee of ICTU with a view to establishing the benchmarking body as early as possible.
