Junior doctors members of the IMO have voted by a large majority to accept settlement proposals in the dispute over excessive working hours.

The doctors voted 76% in favour and 24% against in a ballot on the settlement plan negotiated between the IMO and the HSE under the auspices of the Labour Relations Commission.

However, IMO Director of Industrial Relations,, Steve Tweed, warned that if the HSE failed to honour its commitment to reduce doctors' working hours, the IMO would reinstate the campaign to secure the end of 'dangerously long working hours'.

The dispute was in relation to the long hours junior doctors work in Irish hospitals, with shifts of over 24 hours and working weeks in excess of 100 hours of work common for NCHDs in the hospital system, according to the IMO.

Doctors went on a one-day strike on October 8 after previous settlement talks broke down. New settlement proposals were negotiated following the one-day action.

Under the settlement plan, the HSE has agreed to a timeline for the elimination of shifts in excess of 24 hours and for the full implementation of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) next year. The EWTD stipulates a maximum 48-hour working week for junior doctors.