Union granted leave to challenge new sick pay rule The union representing psychiatric nurses has been granted leave by the High Court to challenge the 50% reduction in sick leave entitlement imposed on public servants by a two-year-old Labour Court ruling. That binding 2012 recommendation cut certified sick leave for non-critical illnesses from six months’ full-pay followed by six months’ half-pay in a rolling four-year period to three months’ full pay followed by three months’ half pay. The Psychiatric Nurses Association has said frontline public servants, including, psychiatric nurses and firefighters, by virtue of their role in society, are exposed to a variety of health and injury risks. It said its members were therefore “extremely concerned” that the Government had cut the benefits by half. It said nurses were particularly concerned at the retroactive aspect of the Statutory Instrument used to enforce the cut. It said that would result in some staff who have suffered serious illness and/or injury over the last three years being ineligible for any sick pay in the event of injury or illness in the immediate future. “Surely if any group was to be exempted it should be frontline public servants who put their health at risk in serving the public,” said PNA general secretary Des Kavanagh. Three psychiatric nurses and their union brought the matter to the High Court on Monday. They were granted leave to challenge the new sick leave regulations which they said were unconstitutional, beyond legal power, and discriminatory because they exclude staff of the Central Bank, the judiciary, and the Defence Forces, but not frontline workers such as nurses. Mr Justice Peart said the matter could come back before the court in July. Meanwhile, the PNA has warned of the impact of serious cutbacks in community psychiatric services in South Tipperary as a result of “a continuing shortage of consultant psychiatrists and junior doctors in the region’s mental health services”. It said the services to be curtailed include: * No appointments to be offered for routine referrals; * All out-patient clinics cancelled in the Clonmel West Sector. It said that amounts to eight clinics affecting more than 200 people. The HSE said South Tipperary Mental Health Services were experiencing “challenges in relation to the recruitment of medical staff which are similar to that being experienced nationally”. “Every effort will be made to recruit locum medical staff and to fill the medical posts on a permanent basis,” it said. “All of the vacant consultant psychiatrist posts within South Tipperary Mental Health Services are currently in the recruitment process.” The HSE spokeswoman said there were no planned closures for any services. © Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reservedirishexaminer/ireland/union-granted-leave-to-challenge-new-sick-pay-rule-270122.html
Posted on: Wed, 28 May 2014 21:00:01 +0000
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