The public health doctors' strike is a damning indictment of the policies of successive administrations in the Department of Health and the HSEA, the Irish Medical Organisation said yesterday.
Mr George McNiece, chief executive officer, told the annual meeting the IMO would ensure that "victimisation and intimidation, already a feature in this dispute" would not be tolerated. He added: "it can be no coincidence that the speciality of public health, which has experienced the worst treatment at the hands of the management side, is one dominated by female doctors."
Referring to the need for real partnership between employers and doctors, Mr McNiece said there had been a progressive erosion of trust between the IMO and the Department of Health.
"The conduct of day-to-day business has become increasingly difficult. It appears that managers have become frustrated and hyper-sensitive in the tight economic climate", he told the meeting, adding that all too often it appeared that management hide behind the HSEA, their positions unclear and subject to change.
While committing the IMO to establishing and maintaining a satisfactory working relationship with management he said: "A prerequisite however to any real partnership must be that words will say what they mean and mean what they say, and that commitments and agreements entered into will be delivered and that bills due will be paid."