Commitment to award nurses must be honoured: Sansan

By LULU MARK
IT is essential that the 2021-2023 awards for nurses be honoured and implemented immediately by employer agencies, says Department of Personnel Management (DPM) Secretary Taies Sansan.
The DPM, Treasury and Finance Departments are working to ensure that the industrial agreement signed between the PNG Nurses Association and the DPM is implemented.
The industrial agreement in the form of a memorandum of agreement is for the determination of the 2021-2023 salaries and allowances for all nurses.
The Treasury and Finance departments have been told to assist employers in giving priority to the agreement.
The DPM and Finance Department will configure and allocate a code for the nurses’ life and medical subsidy on the payroll.
Human resource staff of employer agencies are to consult the government payroll staff of the DPM.
Sansan called on all agencies to consider the nurses’ awards in their discussions and planning to ensure a successful implementation.
“It is a legally binding document signed by all parties on Aug 25, 2020,” she said.
“Nurses make up the highest number in the health workforce and are essential service providers that the government will continue to recognise and reward.”
The agreement supersedes the 2016-2018 one.
The industrial awards which started on Jan 1 are:

• A SPECIAL domestic allowance of K5,000 per annum awarded to specialist nurses who have double certificates (to be paid on a fortnightly basis);
• A CONSOLIDATED clinical allowance increase by 5 per cent for all nurses;
• UNIFORM allowance increased from K22 to K50 fortnightly for all nurses (not paid to those who are issued with uniforms);
• POTENTIAL risk allowance increased to K75 to start;
• SPECIALIST allowance for mental health and psychiatric duties increased to K200 fortnightly for all psychiatric nurses;
• SHIFT work arrangements and payments – allowance at a base hourly rate of 25 per cent (straight shift) and three shifts at 30 per cent; and,
• TEACHING institutional allowance is increased effective Jan 1, 2022. All other clinical allowances to be paid to all principals and schools of nursing including those at the universities to be implemented on Jan 1, 2022.