BRATISLAVA, December 12, (WEBNOVINY) — Medical trade unionists say that Prime Minister Iveta Radicova (SDKU-DS) deceived doctors as well as the public. “By signing the memorandum and subsequently not including related commitments into legislation, the prime minister deceived doctors and the Slovak public,” stated Vice-Chairman for the Medical Trade Unions Organizations (LOZ) Jan Sykora. Trade unionists thus responded to draft amendments to laws that should satisfy their demands. They were elaborated by the Parliamentary Committee on Health Care while the Cabinet agreed with them on Monday and approved a request to parliament to deal with them in fast-track legislative procedure. However, deputies have not reflected the whole memorandum in the amendments, for example they did not agree with the cancellation of transformation as well as three-stage pay rise. Trade unionists appealed to the prime minister to “stop burying her head in sand” and to push through in parliament legislation she committed to by signing the memorandum.
According to doctors, the main legislation initiative is on the shoulders of the government and central authorities of the state. “Therefore, excuses of Health Minister Ivan Uhliarik (KDH), which he presented, are a demonstration of total arrogance of power. To deny one’s own commitments made by the government by referring to the free will of deputies is offensive and humiliating,” Sykora said. He thus responded to the statement of the minister that he submitted the memorandum as it was approved and it is up to members of parliament what they will adopt from it and what they will eventually support from it. Trade unionists say they stay behind all of their original demands and will not retreat.
On the contrary, the Cabinet Office responded that the government fulfilled its commitments resulting from the memorandum. “LOZ representatives must surely know that adoption of an amendment to a law, i.e. implementation of the required changes, is absolutely in deputies’ competence. The Cabinet made everything for the memorandum between the government and LOZ to be fulfilled,” says the standpoint. It further states that all demands contained in the memorandum were submitted to MPs. “The fact that deputies have not accepted all proposals is a matter of lawmakers. Therefore, it is not true that the prime minister or the government have not been fulfilling their obligations resulting from the memorandum. Commitments in the current form of competence, which the government obliged to perform, have been fulfilled,” the Cabinet Office stated.
Doctors did not want to specify their further steps if draft amendments are adopted in their current wording. According to chairman for the medical trade unionists Marian Kollar, they first of all believe the amendments will be adjusted. “We are convinced that the content of the memorandum will actually be fulfilled,” he stated. At the same time he added that they are vigilant, prepared and they are at the same time on strike alert. They want to inform about further possible steps only after the amendments are approved. However, trade unionists, as they said, believe that Slovakia has a responsible government and first of all responsible deputies. They did not rule out the opportunity of talking directly to lawmakers. “We will very intensely consider it and will do everything for fulfillment of the memorandum as it was approved,” Kollar concluded.
Deputies will deal with amendments to laws that should solve the demands of hospital doctors on Tuesday. Based on the proposal, doctors’ salaries should grow in two phases as of the beginning of next year and as of July 1, 2012. In line with the memorandum signed by the Medical Trade Unions Association and the government, salaries should go up one more time, as of the start of 2013. Based on the draft, as of January 1 of next year, salaries of non-certified doctors are to go up to a 1.05-fold of the average wage in the national economy and salaries of certified doctors to a 1.6-fold, while as of July 1 of next year the salaries are to be increased to 1.2-fold and 1.9-fold, respectively. The last increase to 1.25-fold and 2.3-fold is not included in the draft amendment. But doctors have already signed contracts that guarantee them the pay rise as it is mentioned in the memorandum.
The draft does not contain either the agreed cancellation of hospital transformation declared in the memorandum. Several coalition deputies were against it. “I will not vote in Slovak Parliament for omitting provisions related to hospital transformation and nobody will force me to do so. I have a free mandate that is based in the Constitution. I was sent here by citizens of this country, not you Mr. Kollar,” head of the Parliamentary Committee on Health Care Viliam Novotny (SDKU-DS) said Thursday. SaS Deputy Peter Kalist expressed a similar opinion. He was not able to say how his party colleagues will vote but he voted for the law in the committee for now. “We have to arrange a meeting of our deputy club, we will surely not vote for stopping hospital transformation, I am absolutely sure about that,” he also said after Thursday’s meeting of the Parliamentary Health Committee.
The amendment contains stipulations regarding observation of the Labor Code, including compensation for overtime work. The Parliamentary Health Committee approved the draft last week. LOZ organized collective submitting of notices in protest against the situation in health care in late September. 2,400 doctors joined the protest. LOZ had four demands on the government: to observe the Labor Code, change the system of health care funding, stop transformation of hospitals to joint-stock companies, and increase wages of health care employees. As repeated talks with representatives of the government ended fruitless some, 1,200 notices took effect on December 1. Hospitals suffering from the crucial lack of doctors found themselves on the verge of collapse and thus the government rushed to solve the situation with declaring a state of emergency in thirteen districts, which meant work duty for protesting doctors in order to secure inevitable health care for patients. After two days, a memorandum was signed by Prime Minister Iveta Radicova and LOZ people meeting LOZ demands and putting the protest to its end.
SITA