As the public health doctors strike entered its ninth week yesterday, it was unclear when fresh efforts would be made to try and bring the dispute to an end, writes Eithne Donnellan, Health Correspondent.
Talks between the doctors' union and health service employers broke up without agreement at the Labour Relations Commission in the early hours of Saturday morning.While progress was made on a number of issues, the sides remained deadlocked on the area of consultant status and pay for the most senior grades of public health doctor.
The chief executive of the Health Service Employers Agency, Mr Gerard Barry, said his agency tabled proposals for a paid interim out-of-hours public health service pending the resolution of the Irish Medical Organisation's claim for consultant status and pay.
He had suggested these issues be referred to the review body on higher remuneration in the public service.
He said the IMO would not agree to providing an out-of-hours service until its claim for consultant status was dealt with.
