Medical organisations are seeking pay levels of more than €310,000 per year for hospital consultants holding senior academic posts.
It is understood that the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) and the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) have rejected salary scales of up to €265,000 for the posts, which have been proposed by health service management for medical professors and heads of academic departments.
The medical organisations and health service management will meet again on the issue tomorrow. Informed sources said that at talks last week, management cited the recent rate of €270,000 set for heads of universities in the review of top-level pay in the public sector.
It is understood that management argued that based on this figure for university heads it was coming close to its maximum offer for heads of academic departments.
However, it is understood that the IHCA and IMO totally rejected the concept that there was a pay link between consultants holding academic contracts and heads of universities.
IHCA secretary general Finbarr Fitzpatrick said that this was an "entirely new relationship" being cited by management between academic consultants and heads of universities.
He said that this link had not been present in previous contracts agreed with health service management.
It is understood that the medical organisations have argued that, based on the traditional ratio between consultants in clinical practice and those holding academic posts, the new salary scales should be in excess of €310,000.
Management has proposed an academic salary of €265,000 for consultants holding the type-A contract which would see them work exclusively in the public sector with no private practice.
The rate proposed by management for full professors on the type-B arrangements, with limited private practice in public hospitals and co-located private facilities, is €245,000.
It is understood that this rate would be discounted by 20-30 per cent for associate professors and senior lecturers in academic medical departments.
Around 130 senior doctors hold various forms of academic contracts which require them to participate in teaching and research activities as well as their clinical practice.
Talks are also to take place this week between medical organisations and health service management on issues outstanding in the overall deal on a new contract for hospital consultants.
Health service management last week accused the IHCA of seeking to re-open the terms of a deal reached last month in relation to private practice arrangements. The IHCA has rejected this charge.
Previously, the IHCA had maintained that momentum on finalising the agreement on the new contract was being lost.
It also accused management of failing to draw up a composite document on the deal which will be necessary before a full contract can be produced.
Management denied that there were "many issues" still outstanding and contended that there was a joint responsibility on the parties to produce the composite document.