About 4,000 non-consultant hospital doctors are to seek a reduction in their core working week following on from the deal agreed between nurses and health service management.
The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), which represents the doctors, said yesterday that it would be signalling its intent to submit a claim for a reduced standard week at a meeting with the Health Service Executive (HSE) on Monday.
Meanwhile, Siptu will today meet the HSE on its claim for a reduced working week for about 30,000 other healthcare workers. Its national industrial secretary, Matt Merrigan, said the claim was being made on behalf of paramedics and healthcare assistants as well as portering and catering staff.
He said that Siptu was seeking the introduction of a 37.5-hour week with a view to this being reduced further to a 35-hour week.
The Government last week agreed to introduce a 37.5-hour week for nurses from June of next year as part of a resolution to a seven-week dispute in hospitals.
The Government is also to establish an independent commission to examine how the health service could move to introducing a 35-hour week.
Mr Merrigan said that Siptu had initially lodged its claim for a reduced working week last summer. However, he said the Taoiseach had recently signalled that such claims could be processed on a cost-neutral basis outside of the benchmarking system for determining public sector pay.
Mr Merrigan said his members would be seeking a similar arrangement to that provided for nurses.
If, as expected, there is no agreement between Siptu and health service employers today on the claim for a reduced working week for healthcare staff, the matter is expected to be referred to the Labour Relations Commission.
IMO director of industrial relations Fintan Hourihan said that traditionally non-consultant hospital doctors and nurses had an identical core working week. Non-consultant doctors currently work a 39-hour week.
The IMO wants to raise in the talks with the HSE the working hours of non-consultant doctors generally. It said it believed that many of these doctors were currently working in excess of the 58-hour maximum week allowed under an EU directive.
Minister for Health Mary Harney last week said other public sector groups seeking a reduction in their working week would have to offer productivity and work practice reforms so that the process did not cost the taxpayer more money or lead to a reduction in services.
Meanwhile a work-to-rule by nurses, which has been under way for over 50 days as part of their campaign for a pay increase and shorter working week, ended yesterday.
