Irish hospital consultants have claimed that health service management is not interested in negotiating a new contract for doctors already working.
Speaking after a meeting of the Irish Hospital Consultants' Association (IHCA) national council on Saturday, association secretary general Finbarr Fitzpatrick said that management had shown that it was only interested in a deal that would apply to new consultants who would be recruited.
The introduction of a new contract for hospital consultants is one of the key elements of the Government's healthcare reform programme.
Health service management and medical organisations both accepted proposals for a new deal which were drawn up by an independent chairman several weeks ago.
However, the parties have experienced significant difficulties in finalising the new contract.
Two days of talks between the parties last week were inconclusive, it is understood, and further meetings are scheduled for the weeks ahead.
It is understood that there are still significant disagreements between the parties on pay, hours of work and private practice rights.
Mr Fitzpatrick said that management did not appear to realise the practical difficulties that would be caused in hospitals if there were two groups of consultants on different forms of contracts.
The IHCA national council also decided that it would not accept advertisements, which are due to appear shortly, in which health service management include part of a new contract for around 70 new consultants.
The medical organisations have said that they would agree to the advertisement of these posts on the basis that successful candidates would be appointed under an agreed contract.
In talks last week, say the IHCA, management suggested that certain "agreed" parts of the contract would be included in the new advertisements.
However, Mr Fitzpatrick said that the talks had been on the basis that nothing was considered "agreed" until both sides were happy with the entire contract.
Last week health service management said that it had rejected claims by consultants for a €250,000 basic salary. Management has offered pay of up to €216,000, but has indicated that it will review this offer.