Non-consultant hospital doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, are to be balloted on whether to accept a new agreement aimed at eliminating unsafe working hours.
The proposals were agreed following negotiations between the doctors' union, the Irish Medical Organisation, the Health Service Executive and the Department of Health.
The ballot commences today and will conclude on Monday 19 December.
The IMO is recommending acceptance of the deal.
In June, NCHDs voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking industrial action, up to and including strike action, in a dispute over working conditions.
The IMO described the doctors as demoralised, frustrated and angry and accused the HSE of contract breaches by requiring NCHDs to routinely work unsafe and illegal hours.
The new agreement would see the introduction of rostering rules where NCHDs must be granted appropriate rest and employers would be financially penalised for breaches.
It would also involve the development of a new centralised payroll system and the introduction of nationally agreed timesheets to ensure NCHDs get paid for all hours worked.
"This agreement has been hard-won and we believe that while it represents progress in some key areas, further reform on NCHD working conditions and training must be secured in the NCHD contract negotiations which will commence in January 2023," said Dr John Cannon, Chairman of the NCHD Committee of the IMO.
"We view this very much as a first step in changing the culture in which NCHDs are treated within the system which is bad for doctors, bad for patients and leading to ever increasing levels of emigration," Dr Cannon said.
