A Labour Court hearing with the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) over the issue of doctors¿ overtime has been deferred.
The hearing, originally scheduled for Thursday, was deferred at the request of the IMO. A rescheduled date has not yet been set.
Although Thursday's hearing was not directly connected to the ongoing roster dispute, the IMO felt the items for discussion were related and it said it did not want to address overtime until rostering and training were resolved.
The Health Service Employers' Association has said it was disappointed by the deferral.
It believes the issue of doctors' overtime ought to be adjudicated before talks with the Labour Relations Commission are completed as it considers the overtime issue crucial to talks over training and rostering.