Public health specialists commence ballot for strike action over pay

Public health specialists, who are playing a key role in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, are to commence a ballot for strike action over pay on Monday.

The doctors, who are represented by the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), have been campaigning for some time for public health to become a consultant-led service and for public health specialists to be awarded consultant contracts "to reflect their expertise and specialist skills".

Public health specialists earn about € 113,000. Hospital consultants with a type-A contract – which permits them to treat only public patients – have a pay scale that ranges from €141,026 to €195,653.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said he is committed to the establishment of a consultant-led public health model.

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However, it is understood that the public health doctors are concerned Government proposals may not see all existing public health specialists automatically upgraded to consultant positions but rather they would have to compete for posts as they came on stream.

They are also angry at what they perceive to be delays on the part of the Government in introducing the new public health model.

Talks on a new public health model took place between the Department of Health and the IMO in 2019 on foot of a report by external consultants Crow Howarth.

Legislation

In September 2020 the Cabinet approved the introduction of legislation which would allow the Government to increase pay for certain groups, which it saw as a key requirement to deal with the public health specialists issue.

However, the doctors maintain they still have not received any specific proposals from the Department of Health and the enabling legislation on pay announced by the Government in September has not yet been enacted by the Oireachtas.

The Department of Health said last month it and the HSE were finalising a proposal on consultant posts in public health which would be submitted to the Department of Pubic Expenditure and Reform in mid-November.

Sources said it was expected that the business case for the proposed new public health consultant posts would be completed in the coming week.

The result of the ballot of public health specialists for strike action is expected by the end of November.

The IMO would also have to serve notice on the HSE and the Department of Health of up to three weeks before any industrial action could take place.