Dear Colleague

The IMO has put together this revised information pack which incorporates changes that have recently been negotiated with respect to NCHD working conditions. The previous version of the IMO NCHD Handbook enabled doctors to concentrate on their medical duties and reduce anxiety regarding other aspects of their work. The 1999 handbook was an outstanding success in simplifying some of the specific contractual elements that NCHDs can face. This 2001 Handbook has been designed to answer even more of the questions which NCHDs most frequently ask regarding their contracts, leave entitlements and salary scales amongst others. All too often these important aspects of our working lives remain neglected and we find ourselves in situations that could very easily have been avoided with a little foreknowledge.

The present NCHD Committee's primary aim continues to be to improve significantly the training element of all NCHD contracts from Intern to Specialist Registrar. We believe we have made substantial inroads to this goal for the majority when we successfully negotiated for an annual €3,809 training grant per NCHD. This is a cumulative sum. This grant will allow NCHDs to take ownership of the direction of some of their training and allow them to undertake international courses which previously may have been fiscally impossible. In striving to achieve our goal of improving training we hope to make contact with as many NCHDs as possible and make the IMO more relevant and accessible to it's NCHD members.

In 1999-2000 a major contract review for all NCHDs took place. This had been expected to last a considerable period and was a resounding success. This required considerable time inputs from the whole NCHD Committee and in particular the Industrial Relations Unit and the Chief Executive of the Organisation itself. We are permanently indebted to those who gave of their time in order to remove the capping of payments and ridiculous half time pay. That contract review has brought working conditions of NCHDs broadly in line with the rest of the workforce but there is still some way to go. However we require ongoing feedback from our local representatives in all hospitals to ensure that the improvements to the contract are being enforced. This will enable us to circumvent what could be a major problem by ensuring that each new employment period is begun on the right footing

The IMO is the only NCHD trade union in the country, it is your only voice with the Minister, Department of Health and Children, HSEA, European Parliament, Comhairle na nOspideal, Postgraduate Medical and Dental Board and the relevant training bodies. The IMO makes representation to these bodies on broad ranges of issues and remains in close contact with them on an informal basis. Any development which will have an impact on either training, working conditions or professional registration would generally be discussed with the IMO prior to it’s implemntation.

Being a member also gives you protection in the event that we are left with no option but to organise industrial action along the lines of what was planned in 2000. We do not undertake moves such as this lightly and it is a measure of how strongly the IMO values patient welfare that the last major industrial action took place in 1987. The IMO as a large professional body also gives you access to a range of financial and information services, including group rate medical and car insurance policies through it’s bulk purchasing power.

The IMO represents doctors in all branches of medicine, NCHD , General Practitioners, Public Health, Consultants and Academia. There is also a sizeable contingent of student and overseas members.  It is our unity that makes us strong. Each speciality is autonomous within the structure of the IMO. No one speciality holds dominance over others. When major issues such as submissions to the Medical Manpower Forum have to be drafted a working group is set up comprising members of all specialities. This results in close collaboration particularly between both NCHD and Consultant groups when issues related to hospital medicine and training are to the fore. This ensures that the IMO voice in outside meetings is a unified one speaking for members of the profession as a whole. No other body can offer such unity for any group.

Being a member of a union is your right and you should use it. The IMO has at times been criticised for being irrelevant and unrepresentative.  The only way to change that perception is to get involved, communicate with your local and regional representatives and draw on their experiences as they have come through the same positions as you and have learned from their experiences and may spare you some of the more unpleasant ones. During the negotiations in 1999-2000 large numbers of people became involved who had not done so before. Many have found this to be a rewarding venture, particularly when it comes to educating ourselves as to our contractual entitlements.

The NCHD Committee is now representative of the broad range of NCHD specialities in the health services. It contains medical, surgical, obstetric, anaesthetic, geriatric, GP, paediatric, urological and emergency medical trainees all of whom have a different perspective on the problems facing us in our working and professional lives. However, the most significant way in which the IMO can be made more representative and relevant is of course if it's members become more involved and active.

We are again hosting our AGM in Killarney  between April 18th and 22nd. We hope to organise representative training courses for those in attendance and possibly communications/interview training sessions also. I would hope that the Committee both outgoing and incoming can meet as many NCHDs as possible at the AGM.

Write to us, talk to your representatives - let us know what you expect from your union. If you are interested in becoming a local representative I would encourage you to contact me personally as it can be a very rewarding challenge. The bigger we are the more we can achieve so I ask you to encourage your friends to join.  It's our union - get involved.

Yours sincerely,
Mick Molloy.
Chairperson,
NCHD Committee.