Health Employees' Trade Union in talks with union members about launching pre-strike negotiations with government

RIGA - Trade Union of Health and Social Care Employees of Latvia is in talks with members of the union about launching pre-strike negotiations with the government over the new remuneration system for health professionals, which the union considers dissatisfactory, as the union's representative Inga Rudzite told LETA.

Health and Social Care Employees' Trade Union is indignant at Health Minister Daniels Pavluts' (For Development/For) discriminatory attitude to the lower-paid health professionals. "Unfortunately, there are institutions under the ministry, where salaries have increased very little since the 2009 crisis," said Rudzite.

According to the union, at a time when energy prices are rising and, consequently, the prices of other goods are expected to increase, the minister is arrogantly refusing to discuss salary increases for junior medical and support staff, referring to the remuneration system developed by former Health Minister Ilze Vinkele (For Development/For) as fair, flexible, motivating and transparent.