Meaningful talks plea from ICTU
The ICTU said that to resolve the issues at the heart of the dispute, the health boards should temporarily set aside the disputed rosters and the IMO should suspend its industrial action to allow talks to take place.
It is understood the Labour Relations Commission is remaining in contact with the parties in an attempt to establish a basis for resuming conciliation talks.
Meanwhile, junior doctors say they will picket indefinitely in an all-out bid to restore old rosters in hospitals in Waterford and Tullamore.
Despite a plea from Health Minister Micheál Martin for all sides in the dispute to go back into Labour Relations Commission talks, the Irish Medical Organisation, which represents the country’s 3,500 non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs) said its pickets on the two units will remain.
The 130 people protesting outside Waterford Regional Hospital yesterday have decided to picket until at least Friday. They had previously said the strike was indefinite but doctors were reviewing the situation daily.
Their 59 counterparts at the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore, Co Offaly, have issued indefinite strike notice on management there from Monday as their three day dispute ends
today.
“We’re picketing again tomorrow,” the IMO’s Terence Casey said.“We’ve also served notice of indefinite industrial action on management from Monday. We regret that it has gotten to this point. There is no sign of an improvement.”
While many services have been disrupted, emergency cover and all cancer services, including the administration of chemotherapy, breast clinics and outpatient cancer services, will proceed as normal with the co-operation of the NCHDs.
Scheduled dialysis and maternity outpatient clinics are also unaffected. Accident & Emergency, Intensive Care and Coronary Care are also operating as normal.
Midlands Health Board chief executive officer John Bulfin again appealed to the IMO to urgently reconsider their rejection of the board’s request for joint referral to the Labour Relations Commission of the dispute in Tullamore.
