NEW STAFF recruited to the public service from January face significant cuts in allowances, in addition to the 10 per cent cut in pay rates for new entrants previously announced by the Government.
New Department of Finance guidelines on how the pay reduction will be applied reveal fixed allowances – those not set as a proportion of basic salary – are also to be cut by 10 per cent for new entrants.
Trade union sources said the cut in allowances would particularly hit groups such as nurses, gardaí and teachers, where staff can avail of allowances on top of basic pay. Nurses with specialist qualifications and who are working in relevant areas, for example, currently receive an annual allowance of €2,791. Nurses working in areas such as emergency departments, intensive care, oncology or renal facilities or secure units in mental health services receive an allowance of €1,858.
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions is expected to consider the new cuts at a meeting in mid-January, while health unions are expected to raise reductions in pay for student nurses at talks with the Croke Park implementation group for the health sector on January 12th.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has warned of a campaign of resistance against plans to phase out payment to student nurses during their nine-month placement in hospitals.
The Department of Finance document says that the type of recruitment grades where the 10 per cent cut in pay and allowances will apply include clerical officers, executive officers, administrative officers and engineers (grade III) in the Civil Service.
In the education sector, the grades affected will be teachers, assistant lecturers, lecturers and special needs assistants.
In the health service, nurses, medical interns, hospital consultants, therapists, social workers, healthcare assistants and a number of clerical and administrative grades will be affected.
In the local authority sector, clerical officers, administrative officers (grade III), assistant engineers and fire officers will be affected, as will new gardaí.
Existing personnel in the public service will not be hit as, under the Croke Park deal, the pay of serving staff cannot be cut until 2014.
The Department of Finance guidelines state that public servants who have been in permanent or temporary employment in the public service on or before December 31st, 2010, will not generally be regarded as new entrants.
However, it says this applies only where a person is being recruited to the same or an analogous grade or role as their previous public service employment.
The guidelines state that persons who have been made a written offer of employment before or on December 31st, 2010, but who will not be taking up their position until or after January 1st, 2011, will be assigned to the pre-January 1st pay scale.
They state that apprentices recruited after January 1st, 2011, should be assigned to the appropriate pay scale, reduced by 10 per cent.
However, the guidelines also state that no cut applies in the case of apprentices in training on December 31st, 2010, and who are subsequently assigned to the craft rate on completion of their apprenticeship.