Hospital consultants' contract cases adjourned for talks

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Irish hospital consultants’ breach of contract actions against the Health Service Executive and the State were adjourned in the High Court to allow settlement talks to continue. The proceedings were reported on 7 June 2018.

The court was scheduled to hear lead cases in claims by hundreds of consultants over alleged breaches of agreed pay promises in the 2008 consultants’ contract. The agreed increases were in return for new working conditions from July 2008, including an increase in the working week from 37 to 39 hours. The State and the HSE oppose the claims.

Ms Justice Úna Ní Raifeartaigh put the cases back to the following Tuesday. The consultants’ lawyers had sought an adjournment until the following day, while lawyers for the State defendants sought until Tuesday for talks in litigation involving many parties. If the doctors succeeded, the State could have to pay up to €700 million.