Some hospital consultants will be spared pay cuts while nurses will work longer hours in return for keeping double time Sunday pay, under proposals that have emerged in talks at the Labour Relations Commission on a revised Croke Park agreement.

According to doctors' union, the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), new entrant consultants, who have already seen a major cut in their pay under last year's revised consultant contract deal, will be exempted from the pay cuts targeted at public servants earning over €65,000.

However, established doctors on higher incomes will be subject to pay cuts.

Both hospital doctors and nurses will retain their double time pay on Sundays and public holidays; however, nurses will see their working week increase from 37.5 to 39 hours.

Under the proposals from talks involving the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) a nurse graduate placement programme will be introduced at 85%, in the first year, and 90%, in the second year, of the normal nurse salary scale.

Nurses will also see the restoration of the senior staff nurse increment, with effect from July 1, for all eligible staff since 2009, and it will now be automatically paid, to all new recipients, in November every year.

Under the deal between health management and the IMO, junior doctors earning under €35,000 will get time and a half for overtime outside Sundays and public holidays while those earning over €35,000 will get time and a quarter.

Both doctor and nursing unions have agreed to take place in a review to assess the potential for the transfer of some tasks from junior doctors to nurses. Any savings from this will go towards maintaining the 'twilight' time one sixth overtime pay for nurses.

The IMO says there has also been agreement from management to move to compliance with the European Working Time Directive, which stipulates a maximum 48-hour week for junior doctors.

Ther has also been agreement by Government to engage with the IMO in talks aimed at enhancing career and training pathways for medical school graduates.

The IMO says this is aimed at ensuring in particular on the retention of hospital consultants in the Irish system.

It says the proposals would see doctors in the public service accept any 'central measures in relation to higher pay and increments'.

legislation which would provide for the following:

permanent pay cuts for all public servants earning over €65,000;
three year incremental freeze for all public servants;
devolved powers to every line Minister, e.g. for Minister for Health, to introduce, via circular, increased working hours and reductions in what they term non- core pay (premiums, overtime rates etc.); and
cuts to existing pensioners earning over €32,500;
all of these will take effect from 1st July 2013 in the absence of a collective agreement.