Labour relations: Talks aimed at reaching agreement on reduced working hours for junior hospital doctors reconvene today under the auspices of the Labour Relations Commission.
Agreement on the issue is required if the State is to be able to comply with new EU laws which dictate that junior doctors should not work more than an average of 58 hours a week from August 1st next. At present they work an average of 75 hours a week.
Today's talks between the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) and the Health Service Employers Agency (HSEA) come amid reports in the British media that the European Working Time Directive, the regulations which will limit the doctors' hours, is about to undergo major changes.
However, the reports were discounted yesterday by the European Commission's spokesperson for Employment and Social Affairs, Ms Antonia Mochan.
She said that while member-states and other interested parties had been invited to make submissions in relation to a possible review of the directive, even if amendments were proposed, it would be unlikely any would come into effect for three to four years.
This meant, she said, that EU member-states were obliged to introduce the directive on August 1st. "The consultation can't be seen as in any way affecting the August deadline," she said.
The deadline for submissions on the review is tomorrow, March 31st.
Ms Mochan added that while there were reports that the UK would try to have its concerns about the directive discussed at a meeting of European heads of government in Brussels last week, this hadn't happened. The agenda was revised dramatically at the last minute to allow other more important issues such as the Madrid massacre take precedence, she said.
"Even if it was on the agenda, it would not have been possible to make any change to what has to happen on August 1st. That is a piece of legislation adopted in 2000 and it can't be just changed at one meeting," she said.
Furthermore, she said that while member-states were liable to be fined for failing to comply with the directive, this wouldn't happen on August 2nd if the law was not complied with.
There was, she said, a detailed procedure to be followed including the issuing of warnings before this would happen.
In relation to the submissions which had been made to date on a possible review of the directive, some had been received from employer and employee representative organisations but none had been received from governments of member-states, Ms Mochan said.
These could, however, be on the way, she added.
The IMO's director of industrial relations, Mr Fintan Hourihan, said yesterday he hoped talks with the HSEA would be concluded by early May.
However, to date, he said, there had been no realistic proposals put forward by employers.
He acknowledged meeting the August deadline would not be easy but said significant progress could be made.
Earlier this month, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, conceded it would be "almost impossible" to meet the August 1st deadline but the Department of Health said it was striving to comply with the new regulations.