Chair of IMO NCHD Committee says "NCHDs are now resigned to having to take strike action in coming weeks"

Thursday 29th August 2013 – Following the failure of a meeting on the issue today with the HSE, the Irish Medical Organisation has today warned that it is making preparations for strike action amongst NCHDs before the end of September. A ballot of NCHD members will conclude on Monday next after which Council of the IMO will meet (Tues) to sanction industrial action. A national meeting of NCHD members is being called for 10th September next.

Speaking today, Dr. John Donnellan, Chairman of the NCHD Committee of the IMO, said that representatives of the Committee had met with the HSE today in good faith to see whether the HSE would address the organisation's concerns about the dangerously long working hours

NCHDs are currently forced to work in Irish hospitals (often up to 100 hours a week). The European Union has already warned the Irish Government that it must address the crisis of overworking amongst NCHDs in Irish hospitals.

Dr. Donnellan said that the meeting had been "a failure" because of the unwillingness of the HSE to make ANY proposals to address the concerns of NCHDs "it would be one thing if the HSE made proposals with which we disagreed. However the fact that they didn't have any proposals to make at all shows the contempt with which they treat NCHDs. We now have no choice but to escalate our campaign to include industrial action in Irish Hospitals and we will make arrangements next week to do exactly that."

Both the IMO and the HSE have agreed that as industrial action is now likely, they will meet on Wednesday of next week to agree contingency plans. The IMO said it will cooperate fully with providing emergency cover during any industrial action and that sufficient notice, within statutory limits, will be provided to the HSE to allow contingency arrangements to be put in place.

Dr. Donnellan said that no concrete proposals were put forward by the HSE to address the core issues at the heart of the 24 No More campaign to end illegal and dangerously long working hours for NCHDs. Key demands are

1. An immediate end to shifts in excess of 24 hours in the first instance – this poses the most significant risk to patient safety and the welfare of NCHDs
2. Agreement for a planned move to compliance with the European Working Time Directive (EWHD) by the end of 2014

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