The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has decided to defer its campaign of industrial action, pending a meeting with Minister for Health, Mary Harney, next Thursday morning.
The newly-elected president of the IHCA, David O'Keeffe said the meeting would explore the issues involved in re-establishing the negotiations on the new consultants contract.
Consultants have disagreed with Mary Harney's decision to advertise new consultant posts without an agreed contract in place.
A minor form of industrial action had been in place since May with members of the IHCA refusing to participate in hospital and national committees and also boycotting some administrative duties.
Mr O'Keeffe said the decision to defer the action was taken as a gesture of goodwill to the incoming Minister for Health.
He said the consultants been pushed to a point where they took the campaign of action reluctantly.
Mr O'Keeffe said they were hoping for a positive response from the Minister, but it was not in anyone's interest for contracts to be imposed for the 68 posts, which had been advertised.
In his new role, Mr O'Keeffe said his priority would be to get the contract negotiations completed as quickly as possible.
The Health Service Executive has welcomed the decision by the IHCA.
A HSE spokesman said they were hopeful that the decision by the IHCA was a positive indication that talks might restart in the near future and that progress could be made on the appointment of a large number of new consultants.
The spokesman said they had a 'healthy response' to the 68 consultants posts advertised, but he declined to specify exactly how many applications were received.
A spokesman for the Health Minister said Ms Harney is looking forward to meeting the consultants next week with a view to getting down to the business of negotiating a new consultants' contract.
