Hospital consultants attending the second day of talks on new contracts have reacted angrily to a Health Service Executive recruitment freeze in September.
The ban on the recruitment of new or replacement staff is in place to try to contain overspending.
Doctors say it raises questions about negotiations on new contracts when the executive does not have the money for existing staff.
It has been reported that the move is to contain overspending of around €170m.
The freeze on hiring will come into effect immediately.
Details of the move are understood to have been circulated to senior staff yesterday.
The moratorium applies to the promotion and recruitment of existing and new staff, either on a temporary, permanent or replacement basis in hospitals and other health facilities.
However, the Chief Executive of BreastCheck, Tony O'Brien, has said its cancer screening service will not be affected by the recruitment freeze.
