Q. How does the Mark-Time Scheme Work?
Where a nurse is in receipt of either a location, specialist, or red-circled allowance - or a combination of two of these - for a period of no less than one year, starting pay will be calculated in accordance with the normal pay on promotion arrangements, exclusive of the allowance(s).
Where a loss in basic earnings occurs having applied the normal pay on promotion rules, the nurse may retain her/his existing pay, plus the allowance(s) on a mark-time basis until such time under normal pay on promotion arrangements the loss is eroded.
Mark-time will cease when the value of the increments on the higher scale are equal to or greater than the mark-time salary. (The value of the increments at the higher scale will be considered on the nurse's normal incremental date, which will not have changed because of the promotion.) At that point the nurse will be assimilated to the nearest salary point above their mark-time rate of pay and will move up along the scale on their normal incremental date.
Mark-time will not attract special increases but will attract general pay rounds.
In no case may the rate of pay of a nurse on a mark-time basis exceed the maximum of the higher scale to which s/he has been promoted.
Example:
- A nurse/midwife is on the 8th point of the enhanced practice salary scale, €51,018 and is also in receipt of a location allowance of €2516. Total basic salary plus allowance is €53,534.
- She/he is promoted to CNM1 position in an area where no allowances are applicable.
- Under pay on promotion arrangements the nurse/midwife would be assimilated to the appropriate point of the CNM1 scale, exclusive of allowances, i.e. minimum point, €51,933. This assimilation, however, would result in an actual loss on promotion of €1,601.
- Under the Mark-Time Scheme the nurse/midwife would be allowed to retain her/his basic salary, inclusive of allowances (€53,534) on a mark-time basis.
- When the nurse's/midwife’s next normal incremental date comes around, she/he would have moved to the 2nd point of the CNM1 scale, i.e. €52,875. However, because this would also result in a loss of pay, i.e. €659, the nurse/midwife would continue to retain existing pay of €53,534 on a mark-time basis.
- On the nurse's/midwife’s next normal incremental date (i.e. 12 months later) she/he would have moved to the 3rd point of the CNM1 scale, i.e. €54,204. Mark-time would then cease because the nurse's/midwife’s salary would be higher than the mark-time salary, i.e. by €670. She/he would then be placed on the 3rd point of the CNM1 scale and would move up the scale on her/his normal incremental date.
