By Marie Feely
 

The IMO has written to the Equality Authority about the upgrade of Area Medical Officers (AMOs) and Senior Medical Officers (SMOs).
 

AMOs are awaiting upgrade to SMO status since the implementation of the 2003 Labour Relations Commission Agreement and they are also asking that differences in pay are reviewed. In the letter, seen by IMN, IMO CEO Mr George McNeice outlined that the AMOs “are the subject of de facto discrimination as defined by the Employment Equality Act (1998-2004) on the grounds of age”.

He also contended that AMOs suffer discrimination in comparison with SMOs in terms of salary as the AMOs were employed before SMOs, which is in turn a function of the age of the remaining AMOs.

 

Mr McNeice asked the Authority to delegate an officer to conduct an investigation into the matter. In the letter sent on the September 23, he stated that the IMO “has repeatedly raised this matter with the HSE” but added that, discussions and negotiations to date “have not yielded a positive outcome”.

IMN previously reported that the IMO wrote to the HSE in July on the matter; however, the Executive has not responded to date.