Stephen Donnelly 'unambiguously committed' to medical consultant pay parity

Health minister Stephen Donnelly said the issue is something he was committed to in opposition and remains 'unambiguously strongly commited to' as minister. 

Health minister Stephen Donnelly said he is “unambiguously committed” to pay restoration for medical consultants as 500 posts lay unfilled.

Mr Donnelly told the annual Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) conference that it is currently a policy he was pursuing, but did not go into specifics as to when and how it would be done.

“The Government agreed just two weeks ago to pass the enabling legislation to address many of these issues. 

"It will see full pay restoration in line with existing A contracts, and it will have additional benefits which are being thought through at the moment.

“The other big outstanding question obviously concerns pay restoration or pay inequality for B and C contracts. 

"This is something I committed to unambiguously in opposition, it is something I committed to unambiguously at your conference last year, and it is something I am unambiguously strongly committed to as minister.

“I believe it is one of the changes necessary to unlocking reform and to address retention in the public system. It is a policy I am pursuing strongly,” he said.

IHCA members have consistently called for the restoration of pay parity for all consultants, appointed on or transferring to the 2008 Consultant Contract after October 1, 2012.

Saying they have patient care in mind, consultants have never taken industrial action to highlight their issues on pay, which they say has hampered their efforts to close the 30% pay gap.

They are seeking an end to the discriminatory salary terms “impacting severely” on the recruitment and retention of hospital consultants in the Irish health service.

Ireland is losing out as some of the best emerging talent prefers to go abroad in search of positions, or into private healthcare, they say.

Some 500 consultant posts remain vacant, described as unsustainable by ICHA president, Prof Alan Irvine.