Progress in talks to resolve doctors’ dispute

Talks between non-consultant hospital doctors and health service management aimed at averting further industrial action over working hours were adjourned last night with reports of progress.

The talks at the Labour Relations Commission are scheduled to resume on Tuesday.

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), which represents the non-consultant hospital doctors, said in the meantime both sides would continue to work together on verifying the position of individual hospitals in relation to the number of hours being worked.

An IMO spokesman said progress had been made in the talks and the union would continue to engage in the process.

The current talks process has been under way since Wednesday morning. The Labour Relations Commission had invited the parties to further talks earlier this week following strike action by around 3,000 non-consultant hospital doctors as part of a campaign to end lengthy working hours, including a ban on shifts of more than 24 hours.

The strike on Tuesday affected 7,400 patients who were due to attend hospitals around the county.

The main issue between the parties has been the sanctions to be applied to hospitals in the event of breaches of new commitments limiting working hours for non-consultant hospital doctors.

Working week
The HSE has undertaken that by January 2014 no doctor will work a single shift of longer than 24 hours, and that all hospitals will be compliant with EU rules limiting the working week to a maximum of 48 hours by the end of next year.

The HSE has argued that sanctions cannot involve additional payments to doctors who work more than 24 hours.

Minister for Health James Reilly has said financial sanctions should not be applied to hospital budgets as this would hit patients.