Nurses are in line for a substantial pay boost - they can expect increases of between 20% and 23%, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said yesterday.

The minister made the announcement at a meeting with provincial health MECs and hospital heads at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. In terms of the proposed increases, which would be backdated to July 1, "newly-qualified professional nurses will earn R96 750 yearly, R17 343 more than before".

"Staff nurses will enter the sector on a salary of R65 574 a year which is R11 352 higher. Auxiliary (assistant) nurses will start at R49 665, which is R9 438 more," said Tshabalala- Msimang.

She said these were minimum benefits for everyone in the health sector and emphasised the proposals represented an increase of more than 21% for professional nurses, 20% for staff nurses and 23% for auxiliary nurses.

"Our package of proposals calls for recognition of years of experience, skills and education. The new dispensations will recognise good performers who may progress faster to higher salary levels.

"The proposals also provide remuneration recognition to the position of nursing educators to enable us to attract lecturers for extra nursing colleges we are opening as per President Thabo Mbeki's statement (last year)," said the minister.

Commenting on the announcement, the DA said had the government properly communicated health workers would receive these wage increases, the "ruinous" public service strike could have been avoided.

DA health spokesman Jack Bloom said although they welcomed the news, Tshabalala-Msimang's announ-cement "illustrates the poor government communication during the strike, which would not have lasted so long if salary details such as this were more widely known".

Bloom said the increase would "hopefully" assist in attracting more nurses to hospitals.

"Nurses have been underpaid for so long that above-inflation increases linked to experience and skills are long overdue," said Bloom.

More than 200 hospital heads and provincial health MECs were at the CSIR meeting to discuss lessons learnt, positive and negative experiences, and what they could have done differently to avert the strike action.

The department said nursing colleges produced about 2 000 professional nurses, 5 000 staff nurses and 6 000 assistant nurses yearly.

"By next year we would like to produce 3 000 professional nurses, 8 000 staff nurses and 10 000 assistant nurses yearly," said Western Cape health MEC Pierre Uys.

Tshabalala-Msimang said the proposals had been tabled before nurses' unions which said they were happy with them.

President of the Health and Other Service Personnel Trade Union of SA, Gavin Moultrie, said: "We are happy with the new increase and it's a good offer in terms of finance. We have no concerns. Nurses deserve it because they have worked hard to earn it. It's about time and we are happy the department is producing a good number of nurses per year."

A spokesperson for the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA, Asanda Fongqo, was reluctant to comment on the government's proposals "as they are still being negotiated".

The chief wage negotiator for the Department of Health, James Cornwell, said they have until the end of the month to conclude the talks.

"Then we will have seven days to reach an agreement or the matter will go back to the Public Sector Co-ordinating Bargaining Council," he said.

Tshabalala-Msimang said: "We have commenced a rebuilding process at a national level and set the scene for the normalisation of the (nurses') working environment. We convened a meeting with the leadership of the trade unions active within the bargaining process. The response by the union leadership was positive."