Student nurses to see pay increase from March 1

The rate to be set is at 70% of the staff nurse rate of pay, which means that student nurse pay will increase to €9.49 per hour

Student nurses will see pay increases from March of this year, following an agreement reached by the government and representative bodies such as the IMNO and SIPTU.

From March 1 the restoration of pay for students on 36 week placement will be directly linked to rate of pay received by staff nurses.

“USI welcomes the action by the government to relieve the strain on financially crippled student nurses,” Kevin Donoghue, Union of Students in Ireland President, said in a statement. “I read about one nursing student who was paid just €374 after tax for working 114 hours in three weeks, which equates to a mere €3.28 an hour. This change in the wage increase means that student nurses and midwives a more secure financial position.”

As part of the deal, incremental credit will also be reviewed for all nurses and midwives who trained in Ireland since 2011 and who were not afforded incremental credit for the 36 week internship.

Commenting on the agreement, Phil Ni Sheaghdha, the Director of Industrial Relations at the INMO, said “while we are happy at the progress made, we are disappointed that the same incremental credit could not be applied to those who have qualified since 2011; and from whom it was removed, but acknowledge that the Department of Public expenditure and Reform has agreed to set up a review of the effects of the reduction of this incremental credit on the ability of the Health Services to retain and recruit qualifying nurses and Midwives”.

In order to obtain their qualification,  student nurses must spent 36 weeks working in a medical setting.

Matthew Mulligan

Matthew is Editor for the 62nd volume of Trinity News. He is a Sociology and Social Policy graduate and was previously Deputy Editor of tn2 Magazine.