The Irish Medical Organisation has said it will ballot its 3,000 junior hospital doctors on industrial action, if the Health Service Executive proceeds with planned cuts in overtime and allowances from next Wednesday.
The organisation said the HSE is looking to impose changes to junior doctors' contracts, in breach of existing agreements.
IMO president, Dr Martin Daly described it as 'a devastating attack' on doctors who are at the front line of delivering hospital services.
The HSE is to introduce mandatory unpaid meal breaks, end training grants and cut overtime for junior doctors from next Wednesday, in a bid to cut costs.
It says it needs to reduce junior doctors' hours to an average of 48 hours a week, to comply with the EU directive on working time, the final phase of which comes into effect next August.
