Varadkar supports pay parity for new hospital consultants

The Minister for Health says he will support newly appointed hospital consultants receiving pay parity with colleagues employed before October 2012 as part of any new public service pay deal.

However, Leo Varadkar said revised pay rates for senior doctors proposed last month by the Labour Relations Commission "cannot be improved on".

The Minister's comments came in the wake of reports that a ballot of members of the Irish Medical Organisation on the new pay proposals could be very tight.

In October 2012, the Government unilaterally reduced pay rates by 30 per cent for hospital consultants appointed after that date.

Difficulties

The HSE subsequently encountered significant difficulties in filling consultant posts in public hospitals and in September the Government agreed to revised pay rates which went some, but not all of the way, towards restoring parity with those doctors appointed before autumn 2012.

The Haddington Road agreement on public service pay and productivity is scheduled to run until the summer of 2016. Mr Varadkar, in his comments last night, is the first Minister to give public backing to any specific pay rates that may emerge in any accord succeeding it.

The Minister said the pay scales being offered to entrant consultants ranged from €125,000 to €190,000. He said this was “a very good salary by any comparison”. He said consultants returning from overseas and those with locum experience will start in the middle of the new scale.

“I really hope the ballot passes so that we can fill some of the 200 or more consultant posts that are vacant around the country. Patients on waiting lists need it to pass,” he said.

Credits

A spokesman for the Minister said last night that doctors with experience would get credits and this would be reflected in the salary on offer. The IMO has put the proposals out to ballot of members without a recommendation. However, it was reported at the weekend that the result could be very tight and the proposals could be rejected.