Nurses in Bahrain were on Sunday granted pay rises averaging 37 per cent as part of a new jobs scale.

The package was unveiled as Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa chaired the weekly Cabinet meeting at Gudaibiya Palace, said a report in our sister publication, the Gulf Daily News.

The move follows the Premier's instructions to promote nursing and ensure professional motivation in this vital sector.

'The new annual BD5.7 million ($15 million) package is expected to benefit up to 3,000 nurses,' Cabinet Affairs Minister Shaikh Ahmed bin Ateyatala Al Khalifa said.

Nurses holding a Bachelor's degree will be incorporated into the specialised cadre. Under the new scale, this category will be ranked between the fourth and eighth grade.

Non-holders of Bachelor degrees will have their scaling amended and be ranked between ninth and 10th grades. This category will be lifted by one grade over the mainstream government employees.

Nurses will also have their clothing allowances doubled as part of the new jobs scale.

Allowances for nurses working in special wards could average 150 per cent. This applies to those working in care centres and other wards relating to cardiology, burns and incurable diseases.

Nursing services chiefs and deputies will also be granted a monthly bonus of BD250 and BD200 respectively.

Nurses had already been granted a two-grade promotion as part of a 2004 job scale readjustment, apart from a host of other benefits.

They were also incorporated in the 2007 pay rise granted to government employees. - TradeArabia News Service