Firstly, I would like to acknowledge and pay tribute to the dedication, professionalism and commitment of all medical scientists throughout the country. Their drive and dedication have been key components in our managing of the pandemic.
As part of talks which took place under the Lansdowne Road Agreement, a chairman’s note was agreed by all parties on a Job Evaluation Scheme for support staff grades in the Health Sector, including the Medical Laboratory Aide. Under this scheme, it was determined that the grade of Medical Laboratory Aide would be uplifted from band 2 to band 1. This move has meant that a pay anomaly occurs between Medical Laboratory Aides and Medical Scientists in Year 1 of their tenure only, whereby the starting salary for the Medical Laboratory Aide is marginally more than the Medical Scientist grade. This was an unintended consequence of the implementation of the scheme. In Year 2, the anomaly rectifies itself and Medical Scientists earn considerably more at every point of the scale thereafter. Medical Scientists have a 15-point scale plus one Long Service Increment, while Medical Laboratory Aides have a 7-point scale.