Labour Court recommends retrospective allowance for two public health nurses

The Labour Court recommended that the HSE pay two public health nurses the Midwifery Allowance retrospectively from when they began work in those roles. The recommendation was signed on 18 February 2016. The claim was brought through the INMO. The nurses had received the allowance before training and understood it would resume after qualification. The HSE argued it had been abolished for new beneficiaries and that the nurses became new beneficiaries when appointed. The Court found they began training expecting the allowance to continue and that the HSE shared that understanding. The Court said the nurses had a reasonable expectation based on the HSE’s prior practice. Nurses who began training after the HSE memorandum dated 12 October 2012 are not affected by the recommendation.