Talks aimed at negotiating a new contract for hospital consultants, despite being stalled for weeks, are expected to start again.
Finbarr Fitzpatrick, secretary-general of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA), said yesterday he was optimistic the talks can restart soon, after his members agreed on Saturday to defer their campaign of industrial action.
He will meet Minister for Health Mary Harney on Thursday to discuss a way forward, while the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), which also represents consultants, is due to meet Ms Harney tomorrow.
Independent chairman of the talks Mark Connaughton SC is also likely to meet her this week.
"We are extremely anxious to get the negotiations over and done with in a manner that is satisfactory to all sides," Mr Fitzpatrick said.
He sought a meeting late last week with Ms Harney and she telephoned him on Friday. He told her there were four or five items which remained to be resolved during the contract talks but he believed they could be resolved.
The IHCA pulled out of the contract talks in April, after the Health Service Executive (HSE), on foot of a Government decision, advertised for 68 new consultants on a contract that had not been agreed. However, no closing date was set for applications. If it was agreed nobody would be interviewed for those jobs, it is believed the talks on a new contract for all consultants could restart.
The national council of the IHCA met on Saturday and decided, in an attempt to "create a better atmosphere" before meeting Ms Harney, to defer their campaign of industrial action. This had resulted in members refusing to take part in hospital and national committees and no longer making themselves available for meetings with HSE senior management.
Dr David O'Keeffe, who was elected president of the IHCA on Saturday, said: "I am extremely anxious to create a constructive atmosphere as a prelude to our meeting with Minister Harney.
"I believe it is to the advantage of all parties to devise a formula which will allow an early return to negotiations and a speedy conclusion to this process."
He identified the conclusion of negotiations on contracts for consultants as a priority during his term of office.
The HSE said it welcomed the IHCA's decision to defer its industrial action. "We hope that this decision by the IHCA is a positive indication that negotiations may restart soon," a spokesman said.
Fintan Hourihan, director of industrial relations with the IMO, said his union was looking forward to meeting Ms Harney. "We hope that a basis can be found for a resumption of the talks sooner rather than later," he said.
The negotiation of a new contract for hospital consultants, which would see them work around the clock in teams, has been talked about for years as one of the essential building blocks of the health service reform programme.