Hospital consultants have said they believe the Government is attempting to orchestrate a dispute with them in the run-up to the general election. Martin Wall, Industry Correspondent, reports.
The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) and the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) said that they had never been told of key elements of a financial package put forward by health service management on Thursday for doctors opting for a revised public hospital contract.
The medical organisations are also opposed to plans by Minister for Health Mary Harney to advertise, unilaterally, the first of around 350 new consultants on revised terms from April 17th if a new contract is not agreed.
The independent chairman of the contract talks told the Government on Thursday evening that he was not confident of an agreement being reached by the April 17th deadline set by the Cabinet.
IMO director of industrial relations Fintan Hourihan said he was concerned at the manner in which a pay offer was tabled by management on Thursday and the preparations already under way by the Department of Health to appoint new consultants in the event of the contract talks not succeeding.
Management has offered salaries of up to €205,000 for consultants who work exclusively in the public hospital sector.
However the salary scales proposed by management are considered as "interim" figures to be assessed again later this year by the review body which is examining top level pay in the public sector.
The IMO and the IHCA said that they were never informed in the talks that the salaries were "interim" figures.
They also said that they were not told about a performance-related bonus of up to 20 per cent to be paid on top of the salary.
Ms Harney said at a press conference last month that the salary scales would be re-examined by the review body later in the year.
A spokesman for Ms Harney confirmed on Thursday that the salary scales tabled by management were "interim" figures.
Mr Hourihan said the pay scale would be considered as an "opening offer". He believed it was unlikely that it would be accepted by consultants.
Donal Duffy, of the IHCA, said the offer would be considered at a meeting on Tuesday.
He said that the issue of money was not the most important element in the contract. He said doctors were concerned at issues such as gagging clauses which would prevent them speaking out on behalf of patients.
A spokesman for Ms Harney said yesterday that the Cabinet deadline of April 17th for completion of the talks still stood.
He said that the department believed that the parties should use the remaining time available to work towards an agreement.
The spokesman said that if the deadline was not met, the Government would move to advertise badly-needed consultant posts in areas such as neurology and rheumatology and other specialties.