Anaesthetists in strike ballot over pay at CUH

Non-consultant anaesthetists in Cork University Hospital are to be balloted for strike action over the alleged failure to give them their contracted rates of pay since last July.

If strikes go ahead, informed sources believe it could lead to the cancellation of elective operations, though emergency cover would be maintained.

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) yesterday issued ballot papers to its non-consultant hospital doctor (NCHD) members in the Department of Anaesthetics at CUH. Those papers must be returned by December 11, meaning potential strike action could be on the cards within weeks.

The IMO said the action is to restore the contracted rate which has not been paid to its members in the department since last July.

A spokesman said the hospital had stated it had been instructed to implement new salary scales for Streamlined Specialised Training Programmes from July 14.

“However these new rates have not been agreed with the IMO and this represents a breach of NCHD contracts,” the spokesman said.

Eric Young, assistant director of industrial relations at the IMO, said his organisation would resist the effort of CUH to unilaterally change the pay.

“CUH has acted appallingly on this issue,” he said. “The rates of pay they have introduced are not agreed and not acceptable. We will not stand by and allow bullying tactics to be used against our NCHD members. It is all the more incredible that this kind of action is being taken at a time when our doctors are leaving the country due to bad working conditions, appalling hours and lack of resources.”

Meanwhile, Health Minister Leo Varadkar has said that his department’s €680 million bailout — the largest in its history — will not impact next year’s health budget.

The supplementary budget is €160m more than originally expected, and Minister Varadkar said that it provides for an over-run in spending by the HSE of more than €500m in 2014 on increased levels of medical activity, drugs and therapies, medical appliances, the cost of State claims, and frontline staff.

Fianna Fáil Health Spokesman Billy Kelleher said that the “staggering” bailout is the direct result of the fundamentally flawed 2014 health budget.

As part of the supplementary budget:

-€5m has been allocated for the early access programme for new drug therapies for high-risk patients with Hepatitis C.

-€3m has been allocated to allow the delayed discharge initiative to start this year.

-€54m is required for payments by the HSE to the State Claims Agency.