Labour Court recommends revised pay scales during health service strike

In 1997, the Labour Court recommended revised pay scales for paramedical grades in a dispute between Dept. Of Health/Voluntary Hospitals and Irish Municipal, Public And Civil Trade Union. The Court signed its recommendation on 16 May 1997, while a strike was under way. The union sought to maintain historic pay links between paramedical and nursing grades, saying the work, training and responsibilities of the professions had changed. The Court accepted evidence of a historic link with the nursing grade of Ward Sister, but said parity was not fully sustainable in the circumstances. It also noted pay-scale anomalies and recruitment and retention difficulties, while saying it could not assess the relationships between grades in the time available. The Court recommended increasing the minimum points of the scales by 5.5% and the maximum points by 10.5%, with equal steps between them. Eligible staff on basic entry grade scales who had been at the maximum for at least three years would receive a 2% long-service increment. The revised scales were to apply from 1 April 1997. The Court also recommended an expert group to examine changes in the professions and address anomalies.