Tag: trade unions

Medical Trade Union considers the statements of the President of the Association of Faculty Hospitals, Jozef Valocký, as a badge of incompetence and misleading. Valocký reacted to the criticism from the side of Medical Trade Union by saying that directors of hospitals have lower salaries than doctors in Trade Union. Trade Union stated that if the public procurements in hospitals were made “standardly”, there could be savings for third stage of increasing of salaries of doctors. Valocký afterwards called on Trade Union to stop slandering the directors of hospitals and stated that some hospitals are spending 100% of their incomes on salaries.

Medical Trade Union claims that if the public procurements in hospitals were effective, there could be € 36 million saved per year. Association of Faculty Hospitals protest against this statement and call on Medical Trade Union to immediately stop slandering the directors of university and faculty hospitals. President of the Association pointed out that hospitals act in accordance with the legislation even in the situations when some of them spent 100% of their incomes from health insurance companies just for salaries. 

Association of Hospitals in Slovakia does not agree with the statement of Medical Trade Union that resources for increasing of salaries of doctors can be found in the better management of hospitals. Association claims that hospitals are currently giving more than 80% of their incomes from health insurance companies to salaries and they do not have any possibility or space for efficient management of their institutions. Association also claims that Trade Union has not submitted any principal proposals of system solution for stabilization and development of the healthcare system.

After doctors and nurses also other healthcare professionals want to have their wages guaranteed by the law. As stated by the President of Slovak Trade Union of Health and Social Services, Anton Szalay, according to the education, experience and difficulty of the work their wage should increase at least to the level of average wage in national economy, what is about € 800 monthly. Currently, according to him, some physiotherapists or laboratory workers earn € 400 – 450 gross, what he considers as inadequate. 

Medical Trade Union believes that any doctor does not perform his/her mission because of possible vision of chocolate or flowers. He, however, also claims that designating the patient, who after providing of health care bring doctor the chocolate or flowers as briber, deeply abases his worthiness. Medical Trade Union considers as accepting of bribe each situation, when doctor directly or through an intermediary for him/herself or for other person receives, requests or accept the promise of bribe to act or refrain from acting by breaching of his obligation under his employment, profession, position or function. 

By the overtimes and special exemption for healthcare professionals in the Labour Code the state is trying to disguise their lack in healthcare system. This is claimed by the trade union of doctors and nurses. Head of Medical Trade Union, Peter Visolajský, claims that the aim of increasing of hours might be the effort to disguise the lack of doctors in healthcare system. As he also stated, government is trying to disguise the lack of doctors also by increasing of maximum weekly working time.