Nurses on an average of €44,000 due to get wage rise after strikes

Official figures show that the average basic pay amounted to €36,009 per nurse. Overtime added another €966, and allowances €1,507, while other earnings including on-call and night duty allowances added €5,495 each.

However, the average full-time nurse's earnings may be much higher as the figures include part-time staff.

The data supplied by the HSE show there were 31,415 nurses employed during 2018.

However, the data includes any worker who received a salary payment last year regardless of whether they were part-time or only worked for a short period of time.

The total nursing pay bill was €1.3bn made up of €1.1bn in basic pay, €30m in overtime, €47m in allowances and €172m classified as 'other earnings'.

Members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation are currently balloting on a Labour Court recommendation that includes a higher pay scale.

It means thousands of nurses in acute surgical and medical areas would qualify for allowances worth up to €3,350 for the first time.