GOVT. SAYS DOCTORS' STRIKE ILLEGAL, UNION SAYS STRIKE WILL BE HELD

ZAGREB, June 27 (Hina) - The Croatian government on Thursday stated that an announced strike of doctors and dentists was illegal and the demands of the Croatian Doctors' Union unacceptable. #L# Union leader Ivica Babic dismissed the government's stand and confirmed doctors and dentists would go on a day-long strike of warning on Friday, June 28. He recommended that patients should not go to their doctors, except in emergency cases. It is expected that around 13,000 doctors and dentists will participate in the strike. The government believes the strike is illegal because it was not preceded by a process of reconciliation, which under the Labour Act must take place before a possible strike. Therefore, doctors will not be paid for the time spent on strike, the government said in a statement. Strikes are not allowed in medical institutions, the government said, calling on doctors to take care of the patients' interests and not go on strike. Health Minister Andro Vlahusic today forwarded a note to the heads of all medical institutions, warning that they had to secure conditions for the normal operation of those institutions. The government has also called on the doctors' union to continue talks on a collective agreement. The union demands that the salary of a doctor-beginner amount to two average salaries, or 7,000 kuna (around EUR1,000), and that the salary of a specialist amount to two and a half average salaries, or 9,000 kuna (around EUR1,230). It also demands that acquired rights be protected and a branch collective agreement signed. Union leader Babic dismissed the accusation that the strike was unlawful, saying the union had already tried, unsuccessfully, to negotiate with Minister Vlahusic and the parliamentary Committee on Labour, Social Policy, and Health. The Association of Employers said today it did not approve of the strike. (hina) rml sb