After two hours of talks in the Health Ministry on Monday, negotiations over the collective agreement were suspended to ascertain whether the doctors' union was eligible to participate in the negotiations while they were still striking, and the talks will continue on Wednesday.
The president of the Doctors' Union, Ivica Babic, told reporters that the president of the Independent Union of Health and Welfare Workers, Spomenka Avbersek, had set an ultimatum that he and the Doctors' Union be excluded from the talks after which Minister Ostojic adjourned the meeting until Wednesday.
Ostojic said that he would consult with the Ministry of Labour and Pension System to explain the situation and a response is expected by Wednesday, said Babic, adding that the ministry had acted correctly considering the circumstances.
The president of the Nurses' Union, Anica Prasnjak, said that the talks today were suspended before they even got on the way so that the relevant institutions can determine whether Babic was entitled to participate in the negotiations while on strike.
She explained that the nurses' demands had been met. Nurses went back to work last Thursday after their demands were met and agreed to the collective negotiations.
