The independent chairman of the talks on a new contract for hospital consultants has told medical organisations and health service management that he would be happy to facilitate a meeting with international experts in negotiations if they believed it would be beneficial.
In a private letter sent late last week to the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) and the Health Service Executive, the chairman, senior counsel Mark Connaughton, said he believed the parties might consider such a meeting to be fruitful.
He said a tentative suggestion had been made to him earlier this month that the services of a group called CM Partners, which he said was associated with the Harvard Negotiation Project, might be of some assistance.
He said it was suggested that the involvement of this group would not be as a replacement for the existing talks process, but purely as an adjunct to it. Mr Connaughton said the group did not recommend solutions or engage in mediation but rather advised on process.
"In this context, I availed of an opportunity to meet one of the partners of this group last weekend and I found the engagement very constructive," Mr Connaugton said.
However, he said he had been made aware that there was "a somewhat mischievous view" in circulation as to any input that CM Partners may have in the process and that he wanted to clarify the position.
"Firstly, subject to any contrary indication from the parties who appointed me, I shall continue to use my best endeavours to assist you - both in reaching agreement and in its implementation through the proposed Contract Implementation Group," he said.
Mr Connaughton said it was envisaged that the current talks process would remain essentially the same with the parties engaging directly or through him as chairman.
"Should you consider it might be fruitful [ and I think you might] to meet the CM partner in question, then I would be happy to facilitate this. However, to avoid any misunderstanding that may exist as to any role that CM might have in the process, it does not extend beyond the foregoing," he said.
Both the IMO and the IHCA had what were described as constructive and positive talks on the contract issue with Minister for Health Mary Harney last week. The contract negotiations have been stalled for over two months following the Government's decision to advertise 68 consultant posts on revised terms without the agreement of the medical organisations.
The IHCA has said that talks could resume shortly with a view to concluding by mid-autumn.