Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 20 May 2003

Vol. 567 No. 1

Written Answers. - Industrial Relations.

Michael Ring

Ceist:

288 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has intervened in the current dispute of the public health doctors; when he met with the group; the chances of getting a settlement in this dispute; and his plans to meet with the doctors to try and resolve the dispute. [13341/03]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

While I met with a number of public health doctors at the Irish Medical Organisation's annual conference in Killarney in April, I have not had a formal meeting in relation to the current dispute and I do not intend to interfere with the industrial relations process. I am being fully briefed on an ongoing basis, however, by my officials and by the Health Services Employers Agency.

The issues central to the public health doctors' dispute have been the subject of negotiations over the last 12 months between the Irish Medical Organisation and management, comprising officials from the Health Service Employers Agency, my Department and the health boards. Such negotiations took place initially through joint discussions and in more recent times under the aegis of the Labour Relations Commission. Since the commencement of strike action by the IMO, efforts have been made at the highest level to reach a satisfactory conclusion. Management acting on my behalf made an offer of 10.5%, excluding benchmarking, through the independent chair during informal talks at the Labour Relations Commission on 14 March. This offer was confirmed in writing by the HSEA on 18 March. The application of this increase, along with the benchmarking and sustaining progress increases, would result in increases for public health doctors ranging from €11,000 to €29,000 per year between now and 2005.

The HSEA asked the IMO to agree to have all outstanding issues referred to the Labour Court. The IMO did not agree to this request, unfortunately, and commenced strike action on 14 April. I wrote to the IMO on 17 April requesting that it return to the negotiating table. On 22 April, I again wrote to the IMO confirming the availability of the HSEA and my Department to re-enter discussions with it on the four specific issues identified as being in dispute. On 23 April I invited a delegation from the IMO to meet me and, although this invitation was declined, a telephone discussion between the IMO and I ensued.

During exploratory talks between management and the IMO at the LRC on 1 May, management indicated its willingness to discuss the implementation of the recommendations of the report of the public health review group, including the development of a structured out of hours system. The above-mentioned increase of 10.5% was again offered at the meeting. Management stressed that the issue of the granting of consultant status to directors and specialists was not the subject of a recommendation by the group, but merely the expression of the chairman's viewpoint.

Across the health system, different levels of staff enter claims about a variety of issues related to their terms and conditions of employment. If each of these claims was to be conceded without challenge, the resources available would not be used effectively. There are general frameworks – for example, the various pay agreements – within which any such claims have to be examined and considered. There is also the formal industrial relations machinery through which valid claims must be processed. It is simply not within my power, nor that of my Department, the HSEA or any other agent of management, to concede simply major pay claims just because they have been demanded. Such a concession is not given to any group in the health system or the wider public services. The national implementation body has urged the IMO to suspend its strike and to avail of the industrial relations mechanisms, in accordance with the conditions of the Sustaining Progress national programme. Efforts are currently being made under the aegis of this body to identify a basis on which negotiations can be resumed, leading to a resolution of the issues in dispute.