Talks are continuing this morning to try to break the deadlock over a public health doctors' strike that is in its seventh week.
The talks resume at Labour Relations Commission between the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) and the Health Service Employer's Agency (HSEA) after they broke up late last night.
Unresolved issues include plans by the Department of Health to cut back 100 medical officer posts, the absence of an "out-of-hours plan" in the event of a bio emergency, the introduction of the 1993 Brennan review and the demand by public health doctors for pay parity with hospital consultants.
A spokeswoman from the IMO described progress as "very slow". The public health doctors made a written submission yesterday in response to the HSEA document brought to the table last Friday, according to the spokeswoman, adding that the fact talks were ongoing is a "good" sign.
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.