Hospital consultants look set to embark on their own campaign of industrial action from next weekend over the decision by Minister for Health Mary Harney to try to recruit new consultants on terms which have not been agreed with their union.
The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) yesterday withdrew from the current consultant contract negotiations in protest at Ms Harney's decision. She in turn expressed disappointment at their action.
Speaking in Castlebar before she addressed the Siptu nursing convention, Ms Harney said the Government was pressing ahead with its plan to hire 50 new consultants.
"We can't wait any longer. Patients are entitled to expect the Minister for Health and the Government to proceed with the recruitment of new consultants and I know there is huge interest in these consultancies," she said.
The IHCA is to hold a press conference today to explain its position. It plans to hold an extraordinary general meeting next Sunday to decide what to do next.
However, it has already warned hospitals that consultants may withdraw their co-operation on a whole range of administrative and managerial duties from Sunday.
The IHCA represents around 1,650 consultants in the Irish health sector, while the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) represents around 600. IMO director of industrial relations Fintan Hourihan said the organisation had no plans to withdraw from the talks.
However, he said the IMO would be advising its members not to apply for the 50 new consultant posts being advertised on the basis of terms which had not been agreed. These posts are due to be advertised later this week.
Furthermore he said the IMO had advised members not to participate in interview panels for these posts and it had written to the British Medical Association, the American Medical Association and similar bodies representing doctors across Europe, New Zealand, Australia and Canada, informing them of its concerns about the new posts.
Finbarr Fitzpatrick, secretary general of the IHCA, said his organisation had been left with no option but to withdraw from the negotiations.
"We asked what was the point in going ahead with negotiations on a contract if they had already made up their minds about what they were going to do," he said.
"There is a view that the HSE is following a particular agenda here. There is a strong feeling out there that if they can impose a contract on one group within the health services, they will do it to other groups in time. This is seen as a test case," he added.
Gerard Barry, chief executive of the HSE employers agency, said he was disappointed at the IHCA's decision and believed it was premature.
"We are still prepared to strive for a negotiated settlement with the medical organisations with a view to agreeing a new consultants' contract which is long overdue," he said. "Any final agreement could inform the contracts to be offered to the newly recruited consultants," he added.
Mr Barry said he hoped consultants would desist from any form of non co-operation, which he said would not serve the best interests of patients.
The independent chairman of the talks on a new contract, Mark Connaughton SC, is due to report back by this morning to all sides on where the negotiations stand.
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