The Irish Medical Organisation is to apply to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions for approval for an all-out picket in the public health doctors dispute.
The dispute, which this week entered its fourth week, is primarily concerned with seeking consultant status for senior public-health specialists and the formal rostering and payment of all public-health doctors for out-of-hours work.
The union today agreed an escalation plan which will include balloting community ophthalmic physicians - who are linked for pay purposes to public health doctors - on industrial action.It is understood the IMO considered placing pickets on hospitals and that industrial action by GPs is also under active consideration.
There are 270 public health doctors in the State. Their main task involves surveillance and control of infectious diseases such as meningitis, TB, measles and SARS.