Deal brokered between management and nurses from SIPTU trade union
Nurses and midwives who are part of the SIPTU union say they have accepted new proposals to tackle staffing issues in the health service.
The suggestions made at the Workplace Relations Commission are designed to improve recruitment and retention of workers.
They have also been agreed to by the HSE, the Department of Health and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
SIPTU's Paul Bell thanked the WRC in ensuring that the proposals were agreed, and outlined the agreement.
He said: "The main point is to generate additional nursing posts, to commit to fund those additional nursing posts, which will be in excess of 1,200.
"There's also a commitment to convert much of the money, over 50% of the monies currently tied up in recruitment of agency staff into creating full-time posts."
SIPTU's Kevin Figgis said: "We are confident these measures, in addition to those that emerge from the forthcoming report from the Public Service Pay Commission and the national pay talks scheduled to begin in May, will form the basis for the rebuilding of our nursing and midwifery workforce."
