Healthcare unions demand more in pay negotiations

The unions now demand more than the 7% increase which they initialed with Minister Milan Kujundzic in the previous collective agreement and which the government turned down.

Instead of HRK 400 million, the new demand would cost HRK 900 million annually, unionist Stjepan Topolnjak said.

He added that a new negotiating round would be held next Friday, when the government was expected to make its proposal.

Unionist Anica Prasnjak said the unions, by increasing their demands, did not wish to punish the government for turning them down but let it know that healthcare workers deserved higher labour costs.

She said unions would take certain actions in the period ahead that would constitute a step towards a strike.

Health Ministry state secretary Tomislav Dulibic said the new union demands cost HRK 2 billion and that the government could not agree to them but that it would state its offer in line with fiscal possibilities at talks next Friday.

(EUR 1 = HRK 7.39)