Labour Court recommends £1,100 allowance for some weekend nursing duties

The Labour Court recommended that the Health Boards’ £1,100 annual allowance for some nurses taking charge at weekends and on public holidays be accepted, while declining a broader claim for acting-up payments at all levels. The recommendation, signed on 9 February 1998, concerned cover in certain hospitals without designated senior nursing posts. The Court said the Boards’ approach was reasonable and recommended accepting the allowance offer. The Nursing Alliance had sought an acting-up allowance for staff nurses or ward sisters carrying out higher-grade duties, calculated from the first hour with a four-hour minimum. The Court said the broader claim was new and did not justify a favourable recommendation.