The planned strike by junior hospital doctors has been deferred for a week to allow the doctors' union, the IMO, to consider new proposals from the HSE.

The HSE tabled proposals at LRC talks yesterday which will be considered by the IMO's junior doctor committee on Monday.

The IMO said it would consider whether to put the proposals to a ballot of junior doctor members. 

At the request of the LRC, the IMO agreed to defer the industrial action by one week. It was due to commence with a one-day national strike on Wednesday.

According to Eric Young, Assistant Industrial Relations Director with the IMO, the situation remained uncertain and if the proposals were not acceptable to the IMO NCHD (junior doctor) Committee, the HSE would be obliged to put in place contingency plans for hospital services to allow the industrial action to proceed from October 1.

The IMO wants the HSE to reduce continuous shifts for junior doctors to a maximum of 24 hours and to put in place measures to allow for the introduction of a maximum 48-hour working week, in line with EU law, by the end of next year.

Why doctors are planning to strike

HSE says only 5% of juniors work over 68 hours