The Irish Medical Organisation says it has started High Court legal proceedings to secure the release of pay increases due in 2009 for around 2,000 hospital consultants.
Dr Peadar Gilligan, IMO Consultant Committee Chair, told the union's AGM in Sligo that the pay increases due under the 2008 consultant's contract were unlawfully withheld by the Health Service Executive.
Potentially the HSE faces a bill of around €250m if the union is successful in its action.
Dr Gilligan said that given the reported view of the Attorney General on the matter, advising the Government that the HSE action cannot be defended, there is a question as to why the HSE would waste further taxpayers' money fighting the issue.
Two consultants recently won Employment Appeals Tribunal cases on the issue but these rulings are being appealed by the HSE to the High Court.
Minister for Health Leo Varadkar had been expected to attend the AGM this evening, but will not now attend due to protracted talks on the formation of a government.
Meanwhile, the organisation's new President, Dr John Duddy, has called on the HSE to tackle the low number of female doctors and consultants in the health service.
Dr Duddy said the low number of women in senior medical posts is a key structural weakness in the health service.
He said figures from the Medical Council showed that while there was little difference between the numbers of women and men qualifying from medical school, women account for just 29% of hospital consultants and significantly less in certain specialities.
He called for changes to training and working hour regimes in order to make posts more attractive to female doctors.
