Health Care Workers Reject Offer, Strike Continues
The Medical Association and the Union of Estonian Health Care Professionals unanimously rebuffed the government and employers' offer from last week, as the strike enters its third week.
The doctors and nurses said the changes proposed were too small and would not achieve the goal of the strike - to stop health care workers from leaving Estonia and to improve the situation for patients.
They said they would not accept "half-measures" and criticized the cabinet for what it said was an ultimatum.
"By extending the length of outpatient appointments, the Health Insurance Fund does make it possible to reduce the intensity of work, but the employers will not be obligated to actually limit the load on doctors and nurse working in a polyclinic. The workloads on doctors and nurses in inpatient care are totally unresolved. One of the most important conditions for us - to set a cap on the number of patients treated per job is absent from the agreement," the unions announced in a statement.
They said there was no confirmation from the social affairs minister that residents would now be paid for a full week of work or that the collective agreement would apply to all health care workers.
The unions said they were sticking to their offer of October 10, in which they called for 23 percent raises for caregivers, 17.5 percent for nurses and 11 percent for doctors, all at once.
The Health Insurance Fund came back the next day with pre-approval for lesser increases of 15 percent for caregivers, 10 percent for nurses and 6 percent for doctors, which would take place over two years.
Unions say the fund has enough funds to implement their version. "The Health Insurance Fund has sufficient resources due to increased budgetary revenue and retained earnings," the unions said, saying the totals in the 2013 budget would not have to be changed. "The September forecast shows greater than planned receipts of insurance premiums."