There will be talks this afternoon between the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) and the Health Service Employers' Agency (HSEA) to try to resolve the strike by public health doctors.
An IMO spokeswoman said there is "still a lot of work to be done" at the Labour Relations Commission after an earlier meeting on Friday, where "for the first time a written report was put on the table" by the HSEA in response to the doctors' concerns.
About 270 public health doctors - who work to control the spread of infectious diseases such as measles, meningitis and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - went on strike in April in pursuit of improved pay and conditions.
They are seeking pay parity with hospital consultants, funding for a proper out-of-hours service and the implementation of the 1993 Brennan Review on the future development of the public health service.
On Friday, the HSEA reportedly tabled proposals in relation to the out-of-hours service and the introduction of the Brennan report, but they rejected the IMO's pay claim, saying parity with consultants would be unattainable.
Public health doctors earn between €48,470 and €81,914; the pay scale of hospital consultants ranges from €114,718 to €142,406.