Prison doctors offered pay rise in bid to end dispute

PRISON doctors' salaries will almost double and annual leave and sick pay entitlements increase if they accept a deal designed to end a long-running dispute.

The deal, hammered out with the Irish Prison Service (IPS) in an effort to end a strike which began in May, will allow the 23 doctors up to one year's sick leave, with the first six months of the year paid in full, and half-pay for the second six months. The previous contract allowed for 31 days paid leave. Annual leave will increase from 38 to 42 days per year and 10 days of study leave has also been agreed.

Doctors working in prisons, who will be pensionable for the first time if the deal is agreed to, will be paid €117,300 for a 39-hour week (compared to €64,000 under the old system), plus an on-call allowance of €5,100. The deal, reported in Irish Medical News, includes some degree of retrospective pay, not expected to amount to a substantial figure.