Union to Compensate Pay for Striking Doctors
The doctors' trade union has decided to compensate pay forgone by its members during the health care sector strike, set to begin on October 1.
Although the extent of the compensation has not yet been decided, depending on the length of the strike, it will make up for most of the lost pay, according to Katrin Rehemaa, the union's secretary general.
The fund has for years collected membership fees for a strike fund, reported ETV.
"The fund is quite substantial [...] According to our calculations, if the strike was to last more than a few months, the situation would become a little complicated. But if an agreement is reached before then, which satisifies both sides, only in that case would it possible to end the strike,” said Rehemaa.
Officials have said that thousands of appointments will be cancelled or delayed in the first week of the strike alone, in which the largest hospitals in Tallinn and Tartu are participating. Emergency care will not be directly affected.