ZAGREB, Jan 5 (Hina) - After the procedure of conciliation brought no results last Friday, the Croatian doctors' union announced the beginning of a strike for 15 January.
ZAGREB, Jan 5 (Hina) - After the procedure of conciliation brought
no results last Friday, the Croatian doctors' union announced the
beginning of a strike for 15 January. #L#
The union insists that the salary of general practitioners who have
just graduated from medical schools be about 7,000 kuna (945
euros), i.e twice the amount of the average salary in Croatia,
whereas the salary of specialists should be some 9,000 kuna
(EUR1,215).
The union's leader, Ivica Babic, said doctors would be in strike
until the fulfilment of their requests.
According to Babic, about 7,000 hospital physicians and about 5,000
doctors and dentists who work in leased offices will go on strike.
Deputy Health Minister Ante Bilic, who negotiated with the union,
said the government could not meet the unionists' conditions, as
this would imply an increase of 50 to 70 percent in the entire funds
which should be earmarked for salaries.
"We are willing to increase from six to 20 percent funds for
payments for work under special conditions and to see that branch
collective agreements incorporate a provision of encouragement for
work, i.e. disincentives for doctors who do not perform their
duties, but the union does not want at all to talk about it," Bilic
said last Friday.
(hina) ms