Graduate nurses in Cork University Hospital (CUH) are not receiving full pay, but instead are still on student rates, according to Social Democrats TD.

Deputy Pádraig Rice, who is the party’s spokesperson on health, said: “It has come to my attention that newly qualified registered nurses in CUH are being paid a student rate rather than what a staff nurse receives. This is utterly unacceptable.”

“My understanding is that these nurses will not receive their correct rate of pay until their contracts are signed and all their documentation is processed. But this could take weeks, even months.”

He called on the Minister for Health to urgently act to ensure that graduate nurses in CUH receive full pay. Deputy Rice said the nurses are “qualified and registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland. They deserve nothing less than a staff nurse starting salary and cannot be expected to wait any longer for fair pay.”

It followed reports in September that the HSE withdrew full-time permanent job offers that had been received and accepted by newly qualified nurses, acknowledging that the positions had been offered in error.

HSE South West subsequently offered permanent, full-time contracts through a staff bank, which would allow graduates to work across the hospital to fill temporary vacancies.