JUNIOR DOCTORS HAVE voted overwhelmingly in favour of an agreement that tackles unsafe working hours and difficulties in getting paid for hours worked.

The agreement had been negotiated by the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) with the HSE and the Department of Health.

Non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs) were balloted on the agreement and 81% of the votes were in favour of accepting the agreement.

Alongside tackling issues with unsafe working hours and issues with getting paid, the agreement also grants guaranteed access to leave for essential exams.

Meanwhile, the IMO has also secured negotiations on an entirely new NCHD contract, which will commence in January.

NCHDs, formerly known as junior doctors, are doctors working in hospitals who are not consultants but who provide important medical care to patients and are often taking postgraduate training in a particular specialty.

There have been repeated warning that the current conditions are dangerous for patients and causing burnout for doctors.

While Dr John Cannon, Chair of the IMO NCHD Committee, welcomed the outcome of the vote, he added: “This has to be the beginning – not the end – of comprehensive reform of the working conditions faced by NCHDs.”

Dr Cannon labelled the agreement a “milestone in our campaign to reform working conditions for NCHDs” but also said that it “does not mark the end of our campaign”.

“The real goal remains to negotiate a comprehensive, fit-for-purpose new contract for NCHDs, and that task begins in new negotiations in January,” said Dr Cannon.

He added: “NCHDs have been left to deal with unsafe working conditions for too long and if the HSE does not ensure compliance, we will take industrial action.”

The agreement includes the introduction of rostering rules around appropriate rest and financial penalties for employers the hours breach the legal limit.

Other key elements of the agreement include:

• Development of new centralised payroll system with interim measures to alleviate the ongoing problems of emergency tax for NCHDs each time they move hospital
• Nationally agreed timesheet to ensure NCHDs get paid for all hours worked
• Enhanced training supports and guaranteed study leave for gateway/mandatory exams
• Increased relocation expenses for NCHDs on training schemes and a commitment to address the “double renting” situation for NCHDs