If no agreement is reached within the next 15 days, doctors announce a general strike at the beginning of May. As they point out, the problem arose after coefficients for doctors were defined in the collective agreement for other healthcare employees without their participation and consent.
"In the collective agreement for other healthcare employees, arbitrary coefficients for doctors were included, which they believe doctors should have, without considering the opinion of TK doctors regarding which coefficient they have, i.e., how much their work is worth. Doctors will not allow others to determine their rights," said Marina Berberović, President of the Federation of Professional Unions of Doctors of Medicine and Dentistry of the FBIH.
The Union emphasizes that they have sent a clear ultimatum to the authorities, not with the aim of further negotiations, but to achieve a concrete agreement. They claim that their demands are precisely defined and leave no room for additional discussions.
"We do not like a general strike, and that is why we are postponing it to the extreme limits, and we are in a paradoxical situation. We have raised our voice and are fighting to preserve healthcare services because when we work, citizens have that service. When we go on strike, citizens will suffer the most," said Elvira Konjić, President of the Professional Union of Doctors of Medicine and Dentistry of TK, adding:
"The motivation for our strike has never been money, the motivation for our protests has never been money, the motivation for all this media advertising—we are only presenting ourselves to the public as if we only want money. We want the valorization of our expertise through the recognition of the expertise coefficient."
The key demand of the Union relates to the correction of expertise coefficients, emphasizing that it is not about increasing hourly rates, but about adequately valuing the responsibility and expertise of doctors, especially specialists and subspecialists.
"There are no more negotiations as I understood it. This union organization will no longer negotiate because things are crystal clear. It is about one single demand, which is, as we specified, the correction of expertise coefficients at levels of 5.2, then 6.0, and 6.2. So, a very simple demand, and we think that the TK Government will this time find understanding and sit at the table with doctors and reach a final agreement; otherwise, we will all suffer," said Damir Alić, a lawyer.
In the absence of an agreement, a general strike would mean providing only emergency and necessary medical services, while other healthcare services would be postponed until the end of the strike.
"There are no indications of any, we are all aware of that, but it is realistic to hope that common sense will prevail and that the Government, which is aware that if we do not reach any agreement, all responsibility will be borne precisely by that TK Government," adds Mirsad Šljivić, President of the Assembly of the Professional Union of Doctors of Medicine and Dentistry of TK.
The Union conveys that they hope for a quick solution and avoidance of the strike, but the responsibility for further developments, they claim, now lies with the Government of Tuzla Canton.