Doctors' dispute set to escalate next week

The junior hospital doctors dispute looks set to escalate with indefinite strike action planned for Tullamore General Hospital from next week.

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has warned the Midland Health Board that a three-day strike at Tullamore General, due to end this Friday, will be followed by indefinite industrial action from Monday, August 19th.

Non-emergency operations and out-patient appointments at Tullamore and Waterford Regional Hospital have been cancelled again today as junior doctors engage in a second consecutive day of strike action this week in a dispute over new rostering arrangements.

At some stages I wondered if they worked in the same hospitals. LRC chief executive Mr Kieran Mulvey on the distance between the sides at weekend talks

Junior doctors claim the new rosters will reduce the number of hours they work during 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., which they claim are the key hours for-on-the job training.

But the health boards say the roster changes are necessary to reduce the hours worked by junior doctors.

Talks at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) on the issue collapsed last Monday. The LRC chief executive, Mr Kieran Mulvey remarked afterwards the two sides were "so far apart at some stages I wondered if they worked in the same hospitals".

Junior doctors at Waterford started industrial action on Tuesday last week. Strike action was suspended pending the LRC talks but after these broke down an indefinite work-to-rule was reinstated.

This has led to the cancellation of 746 out-patients appointments and 101 non-emergency operations at Waterford.

Doctors picketing at Tullamore Hospital yesterday. Photograph: Eric Luke

In Tullamore, 123 non-emergency operations and 400 out-patient consultations have been deferred.

Mr John Bulfin, assistant CEO at the Midland Health Board, called on the IMO to agree to return to talks at the Labour Relations Commission.

The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, suggested yesterday "there would be flexibility on both sides" if discussions resumed at the Labour Relations Commission, but he disagreed with the IMO's version of the events surrounding the dispute.

Mr Martin said agreement had been reached between doctors and management at Tullamore but that this agreement had been rejected by the IMO on a national level.

The IMO has asked for the suspension of the disputed rosters to allow for talks to take place.

According to the Health Service Employers' Agency, the doctors' action is an attempt to protect their considerable overtime earnings.