Consultant contract cases due to begin in June

Both the IHCA and the IMO have told the <strong><em>Medical Independent</em></strong> (<strong><em>MI</em></strong>) they have members involved in the upcoming cases.

An IHCA spokesperson confirmed the High Court hearing of 10 lead cases concerning what the Association considers to be a breach of the 2008 consultant contract will commence on 5 June. A four-week period has been set aside for the hearing.

 “Overall, in or around 700 IHCA consultant members have lodged summonses for breach of contract against their employers and five out of the 10 lead cases listed for hearing are IHCA members,” said the Association’s spokesperson.

A spokesperson for the IMO told <strong><em>MI</em></strong> that it “continues to support a number of the plaintiffs” in the upcoming cases.

Both the IHCA and IMO have been severely critical of what they regard as breaches of the 2008 consultant contract. It is alleged that salary increases due under the 2008 contract have been withheld.

In April, IHCA President Dr Tom Ryan said the State’s decision to “breach contract terms entered into with consultants in 2008 and the discrimination against new-entrant consultants represent costly errors”.

Also speaking in April, IMO President Dr Peadar Gilligan said the Government had “chosen an adversarial route through the courts in an attempt to defend a blatant breach of contract, which has seen consultants paid less than agreed following contract negotiations”.

He further criticised the new-entrant pay cut.