This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/6286408.stm

The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Pay rise for nurses gets go-ahead Pay rise for nurses gets go-ahead
(about 1 hour later)
Nurses in Northern Ireland are to receive the full pay award recommended by the Independent Pay Review Body.Nurses in Northern Ireland are to receive the full pay award recommended by the Independent Pay Review Body.
The move means that nurses and midwives will receive a 2.5% increase back-dated from 1 April.The move means that nurses and midwives will receive a 2.5% increase back-dated from 1 April.
Health Minister Michael McGimpsey said all key workers in "the wider health service team" would also receive the recommended increase. Health Minister Michael McGimpsey said all key workers in "the wider health service team" would get the increase.
"This pay rise is fully deserved and goes some way towards demonstrating how our health service is valued," he said. The decision means that the only nurses in the UK who will not receive their full pay from April are those working in England.
The decision means that the only nurses in the UK who will not receive their full pay from April are those in England, who are getting 1.5% now and an extra 1% in the autumn. They are getting 1.5% now and an extra 1% in the autumn.
Mr McGimpsey said he was on record as saying he believed that nurses "deserved to have their pay in full".Mr McGimpsey said he was on record as saying he believed that nurses "deserved to have their pay in full".
'Confidence'
"I met with the RCN (Royal College of Nursing) and other unions and left them in no doubt that I would take all steps possible to make good on their pay award," he said.
"For pay reviews to be credible, employees have to have the confidence in the system and in its outcome.
"Following consultation with my colleague at the Department of Finance and Personnel, Peter Robinson, I am now able to make good on the arrangement for paying our nurses in Northern Ireland."
The minister said the pay rise would also be awarded to administrative and clerical staff "as well as other support services".The minister said the pay rise would also be awarded to administrative and clerical staff "as well as other support services".
Mary Hines, Royal College of Nursing, said it was not just an investment in nurses, but also in patient care.
"The health minister has been very supportive, one has to say that Finance Minister Peter Robinson,who has to make difficult decisions, and the executive have been wonderful," she said.
"They have listened to the voice of nursing and nurses in Northern Ireland."