Dublin: The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) is advocating for a compensation measure granting nurses two days of annual leave in response to the delayed salary increases outlined in the Building Momentum Pay Agreement. As per the agreement, all public sector workers, including nurses, were slated to receive a 7.5% pay raise by October 1, 2023, in three installments.
While most public sector employees received their salary increments in three timely installments, nurses encountered delays. Despite a 3% increase in their annual basic pay from February 2, 2022, nurses experienced setbacks in receiving the additional 2% increase, which was due on March 1, 2023. The Health Service Executive (HSE) attributed the delays to the escalating cost of living.
Section 3.1 of the agreement stipulated that 1.5% of nurses’ basic annual salary or €750, whichever is greater, was to be disbursed by the HSE from October 1, 2023. However, this payment was not made on time for the country’s 40,000 nurses, with delays ranging from six months to three months.
In response to these delays, the INMO is now advocating for nurses to be compensated with two days of annual leave. The organization contends that this compensation would help address the challenges faced by nurses amidst the postponed salary increases.
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