The Labour Court recommended that the North Western Health Board concede the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union’s claim for ambulance nurses moving to EMT roles to retain their nurse salaries on a red-circled basis. The recommendation was dated 4 January 2001 and concerned 16 part-time ambulance nurses affected by the service’s move to EMT staffing.
The union said the nurses risked losing pay and other entitlements as they moved to EMT roles. Management said nurses could transfer to nursing posts or take EMT pay and conditions, and that different rates could complicate the service. The Court said it saw no good reason not to apply the red-circling arrangement used by the Southern Health Board.