The Labour Court has issued recommendations on eight claims for improved pay and conditions for nurses and midwives taken by two of the main nursing unions.
While the recommendations will not be published until next week, it is understood the court has stated that the Irish Nurses' Organisation (INO) and Psychiatric Nurses' Association (PNA) pay claims can only be addressed through benchmarking.
The nurses' demands included a pay increase, a cut in working hours from 39 to 35 hours a week, and a special cost of living allowance for staff based in Dublin.
While the court has not adjudicated on the merits of each of the eight demands, it has said that they must be determined in the benchmarking process adopted by the rest of the public service.
The INO has withdrawn from benchmarking, but two other nursing unions - Siptu and Impact - are pursuing claims through that process.
A joint statement issued yesterday by the unions said the recommendations will be considered in detail at a joint meeting of both unions executive councils next Tuesday.
Speaking to The Irish Times earlier this week, INO spokesman Liam Doran warned the recommendations would have to include progress on the issue of an "anomaly" under which care staff who report to nursing staff earn more than the nurses for the first 21 years of a nurse's career.
Mr Doran said the INO/PNA were determined their members achieve a reduction in hours to bring them into line with other healthcare workers.
