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Tag: salary
Healthcare specialists announced possible protests and strikes, if only salaries of hospital doctors and nurses will be increased. According to the president of Slovak Medical Union of Specialists, Andrej Janco, the raise of salaries of doctors and nurses is taking place at the expense of all others in the system. Union represents about 600 private clinics. President of the Union admits that the financial resources to cover wage increasing of all healthcare professionals are missing. But he also states that increasing of wages of doctors and nurses without increasing of salaries of other healthcare professionals will cause commotion.
Hospitals, which did not increase the salaries of nurses in accordance with applicable legislation, are afraid of the sanctions. One of the threats is a Labour Inspectorate, which may impose penalty for violation of labour law. Problems, however, might be also caused by insurance companies. Control of the fulfilment of personnel norms falls within the competency of health insurance companies. These may, after finding of the failings, access to different measures, for example also to the termination of their contractual relationship.
Private outpatient doctors are asking for the same adjustment of minimum wages as it is in the case of doctors in hospitals. According to the president of the Association of Private Doctors, Ladislav Pázstor, they are asking for the basic salary in amount of € 1 600. He assumes that, in terms of their members, outpatient sector would need € 118 million per year, as together with higher salary of nurse the costs on the outpatient clinic would be € 2 900 monthly. Association has allegedly also prepared its own plan of protests.
First negotiation between nurses and new Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská did not bring any concrete results. Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives and Minister were seeking for the solutions of the problem with statutory raise of salaries and allegedly took over some alternatives how to solve the situation with its financial covering. Minister will talk with Ministry of Finance and then she will meet nurses again.
New Minister of Health, Zuzana Zvolenská, asked hospitals not to push nurses to unfavourable contracts. On her first meeting with nurses they discussed how to find money for statutory increasing of their salaries. Minister says that money could be gained by better setting of healthcare system or by finishing the setting of prices of pharmaceuticals. She has already negotiated about this situation with Minister of Finance and claims that she did not ask for money out of health chapter. Minister wants to find money also in the state-owned Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company).
Salaries of nurses in hospital in Malacky are from April not in accordance with law. Hospital for now does not increase the salaries to the minimum level of € 640 granted by the law, as, according to its director, hospital does not have resources for it. Management of hospital offered nurses the amendments to their contracts, which divided their duty for medical and administrative part. Nurses refused it, so the original contracts remain in force. Hospital is now expecting the visit from the labour inspectorate, which will examine whether the wage situation is in accordance with the law.
This week, Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská should meet the representatives of Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives. They should talk about increasing of their wages, which was brought by the new act and its consequences. New head of MoH sees a reason of current problem in the lack of communication. She should also discuss the situation in department with the representatives of Ministry of Finance.
According to the President of Slovak Trade Union of Health and Social Services, Anton Szalay, trade unionist will not be quiet after taking up of new Government. They will immediately ask new Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská for convening of departmental tripartite, where they want to solve the current situation. Main requirement will be an increasing of payments for the state policyholders. Trade unionists are also closely watching the situation of the law on minimum wage claims of nurses and midwives and are requesting the competent persons for its observance.
For now, General Prosecutor's Office has not decided on the initiative of Slovak Medical Chamber, by which they tried to stop the force of Act on minimum wage claims of nurses, which increases their wages from April. According to the spokeswoman of Prosecutor's Office, the supervising prosecutor asked Ministry of Health and Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family for the statement to this problem.
Nurses in hospital in Malacky, nevertheless, succeeded in carving out of higher salaries granted by the law from April. According to its director, hospital can not fired the most of nurses considering they did not sign the amendments, which would reduce their job time. However for higher wages are not funds, in force still remain existing contracts with the old salaries and if the hospital does not receive more money, it will knowingly violate the law.
