Hospital consultants are expected today to suspend industrial action to allow for talks to resume with the Government on the introduction of a new contract. Martin Wall, Industry Correspondent, reports.
For the past several weeks members of the Irish Hospital Consultants' Association (IHCA) have been refusing to participate in hospital and national committees and have been boycotting some administrative duties as part of a row over the Government's decision to advertise without agreement new posts on revised contracts.
The move to suspend the industrial action follows contacts yesterday between the consultants' association and Minister for Health Mary Harney.
Ms Harney is due to meet the Irish Medical Organisation on Tuesday and the consultants' association next Thursday.
A spokesman for Ms Harney said last night that she wanted to move the situation on and work in a businesslike way towards reaching a solution. However, it is unclear what, if any, new proposals the Minister will put forward to break the deadlock.
The spokesman said Ms Harney had initiated the contacts with the medical organisations yesterday, which was her first day back in the Department of Health following her reappointment on Thursday.
The association's national council is expected to agree today to the suspension of the current industrial action to allow the talks with the Minister and health service management to resume.
It is understood that the suspension of the action was not a precondition for new talks.
The introduction of a new contract for hospital consultants is one of the key elements of the Government's overall healthcare reforms. However, the process has been beset by rows and failed negotiations for years.
In April, after a deadline set by Ms Harney for completion of talks was missed, the Government decided unilaterally to advertise new consultant posts on revised terms and conditions.
Medical organisations have also boycotted the recruitment process for the consultants to be recruited on the revised terms. The Government has offered salaries of up to €205,000 a year.
However, there would be significant restrictions on private practice rights and changes to other conditions of employment.
Following a decision by consultants to press ahead with industrial action, the Department of Health decided to withhold pay increases due under the national agreement, Towards 2016, from the 1,600 members of the association.
The refusal by the department's secretary general Michael Scanlan to sanction the 2 per cent pay increase due from this month was expected to result in consultants losing out on about €55 a week.