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  Special Supplement - Benchmarking Report (WIN Feb 2008)

Circular, 16th January 2008

To:  Branch/Section Officers and Nurse Representatives

From:  Liam Doran, General Secretary

FOR THE ATTENTION OF ALL MEMBERS

PUBLIC SERVICE BENCHMARKING BODY REPORT INO/PNA - NEXT STEPS

Dear Colleague

I refer to my recent circular letter which, in summary form, described the findings, with regard to nursing and midwifery grades, contained in the Public Service Benchmarking Body’s report issued last Thursday, 10th January 2008.

As previously stated the Executive Council, of the Organisation, met, on Monday and Tuesday, 14th and 15th January 2008, and have agreed a strategy arising from the Benchmarking Body’s fundamental failure to address the pivotal claim that was put before it.

In this context the Executive Council has now decided the following:

1. 
The INO/PNA will jointly refer the still outstanding claim, for parity with therapy grades, to the Labour Court as the Benchmarking Body found that it could not deal with this claim as it was outside its terms of reference.

• the context of this referral will be that the Court must now deal with this legitimate claim as the process previously put forward by the Government, the National Implementation Body (NIB), the Labour Court, the Labour Relations Commission and other public sector unions has shown itself incapable of dealing with this pivotal issue.

2. 
The INO/PNA are also referring certain findings, of the Benchmarking Body, to the European Commission seeking an opinion as to whether these findings are contrary to the EU Directive on Equal Pay.

3. 
The INO will immediately commence an internal consultation process, through regional meetings with members, to review the following:

• the detailed outcome of the Benchmarking Body report;
• issues arising from the industrial relations strategy followed in our pay and working hours campaign to date; and
• to examine all future options, now open to the Organisation, in continued pursuance of our campaign for fair pay for all grades of nurse and midwife;
• and to receive feedback from members with regard to these options.

The dates, times and venues of the regional meetings will be finalised, in the coming days, and circulated, within each region, to all branch officers/nurse representatives for circulation to members.

4. 
Every member will receive, in the next edition of the World of Irish Nursing and Midwifery journal, a 20 page (approx) insert which will detail the findings of the Benchmarking Body’s report and the strategy that is now to be followed in continued pursuance of our claim.

In the context of all of the foregoing I also draw your attention to the joint INO/PNA press release, also issued today (Wednesday, 16th January 2008), which gives further details, of the decisions of the two unions.

The two Executives wish to stress their continued united approach to the issues, which now arise, following the Benchmarking Body’s report. The members of both unions will now be asked to give their views, once they have had an opportunity to learn in detail of the options now available to us, as to how we should, and in what format, we continue our campaign.

Thank you for your attention to this circular and I would again ask that you give it the widest possible circulation, to members in your workplace, and also photocopy and display prominently on all relevant noticeboards.

Yours sincerely

_____________________
LIAM DORAN
General Secretary