Protector of human rights and freedoms: Non-medical personnel in a worse position

The Institution of the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms determined that the latest amendments to the Branch Collective Agreement from December put the non-medical staff at a disadvantage.

Deputy Protector Nerma Dobardzic gave a recommendation to the Ministry of Health to proceed with changes to this contract in such a way that, on the basis of clear, measurable and objective criteria, the job complexity coefficient for the health sector will be determined, in accordance with the standard occupational classification.

Several people filed a complaint about the Ministry's actions. In the complaint, among other things, it is stated that with the latest amendments to the branch collective agreement for the health sector, the non-medical staff was denied an increase in salary, that until that moment it was linear to the basic coefficient and that they were "humiliated and discriminated against" by the new contract and that they believe that their right to equal earnings was violated.

The previous contract from the beginning of 2020 determined the basic groups of jobs with coefficients for determining earnings based on the required expertise and complexity of jobs, which did not make a separation between non-medical staff and health workers.

The Ministry indicated that the increase in the coefficient for healthcare workers is conditioned by the need to stop the increasingly pronounced departure of workers. Furthermore, they emphasize that during the period of the covid-19 pandemic, health workers make an immeasurable contribution to the preservation of human lives and to the suppression of the spread of the virus by putting their lives on the line to save the lives of others.

Also, that in the conditions of the pandemic, the complexity of the work of health workers is additionally complicated, while, as they state, the complexity of the work of non-medical staff remains the same, especially in the conditions of the digital connection of health institutions with the Health Insurance Fund in the performance of office work, without risk to health, as well as that to employees in the health sector who are not health workers, the increase was made through the "Europe Now" program, as well as to all employees in the public sector.