JUNIOR DOCTORS are seeking pay rises of between 25 and 40 per cent, it has been confirmed.
The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), which represents the State’s 4,600 non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs), said the pay claim was being lodged because the base or core salary of junior doctors was low and had been left so for years, given that they could make up for this in overtime as they had to work very long hours.
However, since August 1st, the HSE is legally obliged to ensure junior doctors do not work more than 48 hours a week under the European Working Time Directive.
“Given that there will be a significant reduction in the number of hours NCHDs will be working, that will have significant implications for the pay arrangements of NCHDs. Traditionally, their core salary for a 39-hour week has been suppressed due to access to large amounts of overtime,” said Finbarr Murphy, director of industrial relations with the IMO.
The basic salaries of NCHDs now range from €35,000 for interns to €64,000-€81,000 for specialist registrars.
Mr Murphy confirmed the IMO would be seeking pay rises on these rates of “in the region of 25-40 per cent”. He said the money could come from the savings made in the overtime bill for junior doctors. Up to now the HSE has been paying €250 million a year in overtime to junior doctors. Mr Murphy said even if junior doctors were given the pay rise they are seeking, the HSE would still be able to achieve “significant savings” in this annual overtime bill.
Talks on a new contract for junior doctors at the Labour Relations Commission broke up without agreement last week. There was some discussion on the pay issue at those talks but now the matter is to go to the Labour Court. A date for that hearing has not yet been fixed, but the Labour Court talks are due to conclude by November 20th.
Mr Murphy pointed out that junior doctors had already agreed earlier this year to new work practices, including a longer core working day, and to being rostered to work any five days in a week for their basic salary. They accepted a Labour Court recommendation to be rostered to work 8am-9pm Monday to Friday and 8am-7pm at weekends.
The HSE said it had proposed retention of current base salary rates at the LRC. It noted that salary arrangements for NCHDs were previously considered by the benchmarking body.
Furthermore, its position is that compensation for loss of earnings does not arise in respect of hours worked in excess of those legally permitted and that, in any event, it is too early to fully ascertain the loss of hours involved.