The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has criticised the Mater Private Hospital for failing to give its nurses the same sick leave entitlements as those in the public service.
In the public sector, nurses who face that problem are entitled to "special leave with pay" (comprising basic pay and fixed allowances) and any Covid-19 sick leave is not deducted from their normal sick leave record.
However, in the Mater Private, nurses must use their ordinary sick leave to cover any time in self-isolation, which the INMO argues would put staff in great difficulty if they fall ill later in the year.
Several weeks ago, SIPTU raised the issue of inferior sick leave entitlements in the private hospital for staff who contract coronavirus or are