DUBLIN: The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organization (INMO) have confirmed that the expert committee recommends a 3.28% increase in pay for nurses in management grades in Ireland. This 3% increase is recommended to fill the gap in the salaries of senior grade nurses due to the pay hike achieved by nurses and midwives during the 2019 strike.
The recommendation to raise the salaries of nurses in management grades came after last week’s decision to increase the salaries of nurses.
The proposed new general pay agreement will provide 1% in October 2021 and another in October 2022 and a new mechanism for sectoral bargaining. The agreement will be recommended by the INMO Executive Council in January. The organization also said it would approve a proposal for nurse managers.
The proposed increase for senior grade nurses was part of the 2019 strike settlement. As part of this, thousands of staff nurses and midwives were given new and improved contracts, including higher salaries and benefits.
Based on the strike decision, nurses in senior positions will receive higher salaries based on their experience. The present proposal will help to restore the pay gap between seniors and those applying for lower-level posts.
The INMO explained that the expert group initially set out to find out the extent of the pay gap that applies to all grades of nurses / midwifery managers.
The decision to increase managers’ salaries was made in line with the increase in staff nurses and midwives following the strike.