Junior doctors seek pay rise in place of overtime

JUNIOR doctors are seeking an overall pay increase of 20%, claiming their earnings will drop by up to one-third when European Union legislation banning their long working hours is fully introduced and their traditional overtime earnings cut.

Under the EU’s Working Time Directive (EWTD), non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs) will have to cut their working week from an average of 77 hours to 58 hours.

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has long been campaigning for a cut to NCHD hours, claiming they are “illegal” and “dangerous”. Some doctors, it was claimed, had until recently been working up to 100 hours weekly.