ZAGREB, Feb 1 (Hina) - The strikers' committee of the Croatian Doctors' Union (HLS) on Saturday requested that it resume negotiations on an increase in doctors' salaries and the discontinuation of their strike with Prime Minister
Ivica Racan.
ZAGREB, Feb 1 (Hina) - The strikers' committee of the Croatian
Doctors' Union (HLS) on Saturday requested that it resume
negotiations on an increase in doctors' salaries and the
discontinuation of their strike with Prime Minister Ivica Racan.
#L#
If talks with the government are not reopened, as of February 5
union members in hospitals will admit only emergencies, which means
that the scope of medical services could be additionally reduced.
"Since (Health) Minister Vlahusic said that he did not have the
mandate for new negotiations with the HLS, the strikers' committee
has concluded that the Prime Minister is the only one who has the
mandate for negotiations," union leader Ivica Babic said after a
committee session this afternoon.
Babic called on the government to demonstrate more flexibility with
regard to changing the regulation classifying jobs and
coefficients which define the complexity of work in public services
as it did when it changed the same regulation last December and the
complexity coefficients of school principals in January this
year.
Babic dismissed threats by some other unions which said they would
stage protests if doctors' demands were met. "Members of those
unions do not have the same qualifications nor the same level of
responsibility towards patients, nor are they subject to the
legally regulated obligation of permanent education, which is a
precondition for doctors to have their licence renewed, so we think
they have no right to judge our demands," Babic said.
Until next Wednesday, February 5, the strike will continue at the
same scale as until now - non-urgent patients will not be admitted
and if in the meantime no agreement is reached with the prime
minister, as of February 5 doctors will only treat emergencies and
conditions which could cause death or disability.
Minister Vlahusic, who attended today's session, said the two sides
had agreed on a number of issues, however, it was questionable how
much the state could offer at the moment. He reiterated that two
union demands remained contentious: a request for the signing of a
branch collective agreement and changes to the regulation on
coefficients, which the ministry was willing to analyse, but not
before autumn.
(hina) rml