The nurses' unions have given a cautious welcome to the Labour Court's recommendations on their members' pay dispute, and say they will take part in talks with employers' representatives over outstanding pay issues.
However, the chairman of the Nurses Alliance, Mr Liam Doran, predicted "anger, frustration and disillusionment" among nurses over coming days and said their unions "will have a job to explain why we have decided to go into the talks process". But he said union leaders owed it to their members "to tease out what increases are on offer" and to pursue the negotiations for at least a month. Union leaders will meet with their members this week to explain why they have decided to remain in the talks process. Negotiations with employers' representatives could begin next week, according to the unions.
A joint statement from the Nursing Alliance committed the four unions involved to immediately begin the talks process recommended by the Labour Court. While the completion date of the talks was recommended as no later than May 1st, the alliance said the talks "must be completed much earlier than this date".
The Nursing Alliance is comprised of the Irish Nurses Organisation, SIPTU, the Psychiatric Nurses Association and IMPACT.
The alliance welcomed the Labour Court's statements that the report of the Commission on Nursing "forms the basis for progressing further the nurses' aspirations and for enhancing the nursing profession".
However, the unions were "conscious of the rising anger of the profession and the nurses' perception that their legitimate claims may be long-fingered yet again". It called on management to approach the talks "in a constructive, positive and prompt manner".
A spokesman for the Health Service Employers Association said they would not be making a statement on the Labour Court's recommendations until today.
Mr Doran said it was "up to management to demonstrate that the talks are worthwhile". The unions could reconsider their position early in the talks if management don't "put their best foot forward", he added.
He was glad that the Labour Court had "seen fit to move forward" on the question of allowances and had made "very positive statements about promotional grades".
The court's recommendation "clearly states more money must be forthcoming for pay for nursing grades".
The implementation of the Labour Court's recommendations would mean a £1500 qualifications allowance for a practising midwife, and a tripling of allowances for long-stay, intensive care, coronary care nurses, he added.
However, he said the end result of the continuation of the negotiations process could just be a deferral of a ballot on strike action, if a satisfactory outcome weren't reached. The issue of promotional grades and increases for long service would have to be addressed if a dispute ballot by the nurses were to be avoided.
Mr Oliver McDonagh, the national nursing officer of SIPTU, said his union was giving "elements" of the Labour Court's recommendations "a cautious welcome".
While the union's members would be disappointed that the Labour Court's recommendations were not more specific on some issues, the negotiations would be an opportunity to deal with the deficiencies of the financial and professional structures of nursing "once and for all".
Yesterday's recommendations are the latest development in the nurses' long pay running pay dispute. A Commission on Nursing was set up in March 1997 as part of an £87 million package, including increased pay, which the nurses accepted in a ballot the month before. The Report of the Commission, issued on September of last year, proposed a radical restructuring of the profession to ensure nurses were better trained, more skilled and adequately rewarded.
