At the meeting of the relevant ministries and the Sarajevo Canton Trade Union, a protocol was signed on the negotiation of the hourly rate of work. The final decision of the Health Insurance Institute will be made on July 11. Will the demands of the Union be respected, or will there be a general strike?
Does the prolongation of the final decision on harmonizing the hourly rate of work with the cost of living due to inflation show the lack of attention of the competent ministry for healthcare workers.
“It is about harmonizing the net hourly wage with the increase in the cost of living in accordance with that increase of 1.4 last year. We do not ask for that much, for example, the consumer basket increased by 500 BAM, we ask for twice less than that, we consider ourselves modest in that with their demands,” says Jasmin Avdović, president of the Health Union of the JZU Health Center CS.
The Institute of Health Insurance told us that an assessment of the amount of the union’s request for an increase in the hourly wage from 2.76 to 3.28 BAM was made, and that it amounts to 51 million. However, they did not want to talk about the details in front of the cameras, nor did the Minister of Health of Sarajevo Canton.
The departure of healthcare workers from Bosnia and Herzegovina in search of a better future is increasingly evident. In the last ten years, more than 5,000 nurses and technicians have left our country. Those who cannot find a job in their country leave, but also those with experience. The surveyed citizens of Sarajevo confirmed from their experience that there is a lack of health personnel, and, as they say, there is also noticeable dissatisfaction among those who work, which, they add, is most likely caused by low salaries.
The Trade Union, on the other hand, says that healthcare workers are not leaving Bosnia and Herzegovina because of low wages, but because of poor working conditions.
“They leave because we don’t have standardization in health care, in fact, they leave because of the working conditions. Pediatricians with two nurses stay until 10:00 in the evening because they are not available, and working hours with patients are until 8:00,” points out Avdović.
In two weeks, it should be known whether healthcare workers will receive hourly wages aligned with the cost of living. Or citizens will get empty clinics, health centers, hospitals. The cantonal Health Trade Union hopes that the line ministry, as well as the Government of the Federation, will solve this, for health care workers, existential issue.
The President of the Health Workers’ Union of Sarajevo Canton, Senad Sadiković, said that health workers will stop working if their hourly wages are not increased.
Sadiković said that all three health unions in Sarajevo Canton held a meeting this morning with the negotiation team of the cantonal government regarding the increase in hourly wages, and that it was agreed that the cantonal health insurance institute should draw up a budget on the level of the union’s demands by the meeting scheduled for June 27. about increasing the hourly wage from 2.76 to 3.28 BAM.
“We know that there is money in the Health Insurance Institute. Our economists made a budget and came to the information that the Institute has a surplus of about 70 million BAM in free funds. It is a huge budget that is constantly being filled,” said Sadiković.
According to him, about 45 million BAM is needed for the increase that the unions are asking for, the media reports.
“We wish to establish a social dialogue with the Ministry of Health in the fairest possible relationship and reach an agreement. If we do not reach an agreement on June 27, the unions will continue with their activities, including the suspension of work, that is, the general strike of health workers in Sarajevo Canton “, said Sadiković.
