Junior doctors at Tullamore General Hospital, Co Offaly, have today begun a one-day strike in protest over rostering.
Non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs) at Tullamore General went on strike at 9.00 a.m. This follows a strike last Thursday by NCHDs at Waterford Regional Hospital, who returned to work today.
All 120 doctors at Waterford Regional will go back on strike on Thursday and will continue to strike at intervals until the dispute is resolved.
Chairman of the non-consultant hospital doctors committee, Dr John MacFarlane, said that the dispute started July 1st at Waterford Regional when new junior doctors were asked to sign a roster. Dr MacFarlane said that the roster in question was not the agreed nine-to-five roster for junior doctors.
He explained that during the hours of nine-to-five, junior doctors are able to interact with consultants and other senior medical staff which is essential to their training. They could not do this if they were working nights. He said health employers and hospitals in order to cut costs were trying to get the new rosters in through the back door by introducing them first to smaller hospitals.
Mr Fintan Hourihan, a spokesperson for the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), told ireland.comhospitals and employers were in breach of Labour Court recommendations which state rosters should be agreed and discussed with NCHDs and consultants beforehand.
The IMO is today issuing a strike ballot to all junior doctors to vote on whether the dispute should go national. Mr Hourihan said: "I’ve no doubt that people [junior doctors] will support industrial action".
Mr Hourihan said NCHDs receive their training between the hours of nine to five and if they were not rostered at these times, they would not receive the proper training.
It will be three weeks before the result of the national ballot for strike action is known.