Some 70,000 health service staff, including junior doctors, nurses and health board personnel, have been cleared to receive benchmarking pay increases next month.
Pay rises of between 2.5 per cent and 25 per cent were recommended for health workers by the benchmarking body last year. They will receive half of that money, on top of a basic rise of 3 per cent, from January 1st.
The decision to sanction the awards was announced last night by the secretary general of the Department of Health, Mr Michael Kelly, on foot of an independently-chaired review.
It found that employees in all areas of the health service were delivering the productivity improvements agreed in return for the pay rises.
Mr Kelly said the review, by the health service performance-verification group, found strong evidence of co-operation by staff with modernisation and change. The "key achievements" included a new system for the management of industrial relations and the maintenance of industrial peace. Extended hours had been introduced in key support areas such as radiography and laboratory services.
The consultative phase of the health reform programme had been completed, and in a "major skills-mix initiative" a new grade of healthcare assistant had been established.
Staff nurses, who fared poorly relative to other health service workers in the benchmarking review, will receive of an increase of about 7 per cent next month. Their current salary ranges from just under €25,000 to nearly €35,000. Non-consultant hospital doctors will receive pay rises ranging from 5.5 to 9 per cent.
