From the Medical Federation (MF) “Support“ called on the competent authorities and institutions to implement the law and to conduct negotiations for the conclusion of a new Sectoral Collective Labor Agreement (SCA) in the “Healthcare“ sector. In the position of the federation, distributed by the press center of KT “Support“, it is said that in April the maximum possible term (two years) of the contract concluded in 2022 expired.
"Our attempts to implement a negotiation procedure and conclude a new contract have been frankly sabotaged up to the present moment, which is confirmed by the fact that at two consecutive Branch Councils for tripartite cooperation, the employers' organizations refuse to appear and participate in the negotiation process.", the Medical Federation writes.
The trade union adds that this is in contradiction both with Directive (EU) 2022/2041 of the European Parliament and of the Council on adequate minimum wages in the European Union adopted on October 19, 2022, as well as a clear violation of the national labor legislation. Art. is cited. 52, para. 1, item 1 of the Labor Code, where it is written that “the individual employer, the group of employers and their organizations are obliged to negotiate with the representatives of the workers and employees to conclude a collective labor agreement”.
The federation declares that they will not accept agreements that do not provide for an increase in wages, compared to the amounts entered in the collective labor agreement from 2022.
Among the arguments are the growth of the minimum wage, which at the beginning of 2022 was 650 BGN, and as of January 1, 2024 it already amounts to 933 BGN, as well as inflation – 15.3% average annual inflation in 2022 and 9.5% average annual inflation in 2023;
The minimum subsistence allowance for one person has also been increased from around BGN 1,200 in May 2022, today it reaches levels over BGN 1,500, the federation adds.
The sensitive growth of the average gross salary for 2022 to 2024 is also cited, including a change in the parameters of the average annual salary in the "Healthcare" sector, which in 2023 will reach BGN 2,216.
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The Medical Federation also emphasizes that when preparing and discussing the proposals for the levels of the minimum amounts of the basic salaries of medical specialists, the increasingly noticeable shortage of medical specialists must be taken into account. According to the data of various organizations, the shortage of nurses in the country alone currently amounts to more than 30,000 personnel, the "Support" KT adds.
On April 16, the KNSB also announced that the employers' organizations in health care refused to negotiate a new Collective Labor Agreement (CLA) in the sector. The position was on the occasion of the failure of the Branch Council for tripartite cooperation in health care for the second time. The previous meeting, which was scheduled for April 10, 2024, also did not take place due to the absence of the employers' organizations, KNSB also indicated. The refusal leads to a violation of the Law on Health Insurance, the Law on Medical Facilities and the National Framework Agreement, and harms all those working in health care.
The union appealed to the Minister of Health and the Chairman of the Sectoral Council for Tripartite Cooperation in Health Care to take measures to restore social dialogue and sign a CTD in the “Health“ sector. If necessary, KNSB will seek assistance from the Prime Minister and from the international organizations of which it is a member, added the union.