With the amendments to the Sectoral Collective Agreement (GKU) for the healthcare sector from November 2022, medical workers, as they claim, have been placed in an unequal position compared to non-medical workers with the same level of education, employed in the same institutions.
The changes, as representatives of medical workers from health centers in the north of the country tell "Vijesti", increased coefficients for non-medical workers in percentages that exceed equality by level of education. They explain that non-medical workers with higher education degrees also received higher salaries than nurses and technicians with the same or higher level of education.
They state that non-medical staff with secondary education also received an increase in salaries, putting them on par with workers in healthcare institutions with the same level of education.
Medical workers explain to "Vijesti" that "nurses and technicians, whether they have higher or secondary education, as well as physiotherapists, are financially undervalued compared to non-medical workers."
They state that with the changes to the GKU, healthcare workers, including, for example, senior nurses, applied physiotherapists... with a VI level of education (basic studies - three years or 180 ECTS credits) have a coefficient of 8,35, and that a social worker, lawyer, economist... with the same level of education, employed in the same institution, has a coefficient of 9,37.
When it comes to the VII level of education (basic studies - four years or 240 ECTS credits), the difference is even more noticeable. As an example, they state that a graduate lawyer, economist, social worker, psychologist, speech therapist, etc. have a coefficient of 11,91, while the salaries of medical staff (healthcare specialists, applied physiotherapy specialists, etc.) are calculated at a coefficient of 9,37.
"It is obvious that non-medical workers with a university degree are more valuable in the health system than health workers with a university degree, which is a paradox in the application of the law and the essence of the GKU. Such GKU and the salary policy in health care do not recognize the value of nurses, technicians and physiotherapists. They are the foundation of the health system and their role must be adequately valued."
The Ministry is silent, Šćekić promised an increase
By the time this issue was published, the Ministry of Health had not responded to questions from "Vijesti" regarding the compliance of the GKU with the law, and the reasons why the coefficients for non-medical workers were increased in a way that led to higher salaries than for medical workers with the same or higher level of education... Questions about how the Ministry plans to solve this problem and whether anything is being done in that direction at all remained unanswered.
In September 2023, the then Minister of Health Dragoslav Šcekić After a letter from medical workers pointing out problems in the GKU, the Ministry responded that the ministry would “do everything to ensure that the upcoming amendments provide an appropriate increase in the coefficients for calculating salaries for medical workers, and therefore also for nurses with higher education.” Šćekić then expected that the Ministry of Finance would support these efforts, and that “in the negotiation process, in accordance with financial possibilities, there would be an appropriate increase in the salaries of health workers”...
Northern medical professionals say that the wage gap has become even more pronounced since the implementation of the Europe Now 2 program. They say that now non-medical workers with secondary education and less responsibility, such as hygienists, receive the same wages as nurse technicians with secondary education. They add that the wage gap between healthcare workers and non-medical staff with higher education is even more pronounced.
They also say that "the deep salary gap between doctors and other healthcare workers can significantly affect the morale and motivation of healthcare workers."
They remind that the contribution of nurse technicians, physiotherapists, laboratory technicians, radiologists and other auxiliary medical staff is often insufficiently recognized and adequately valued, although, as they point out, they are crucial to the daily functioning of hospitals, health centers and other healthcare institutions.
Increasing salaries and recognizing the importance of all members of healthcare teams, along with continuous investment in their education and professional development, they say, "is crucial for maintaining motivation and ensuring high quality healthcare services."
They say that the signatories of the GKU, the then minister of the relevant ministry, and the presidents of the Independent Health Trade Union and the Health Workers' Union, did not comply with the Labor Law and the Law on the National Qualifications Framework. Medical workers also say that this was "done in secret", and only six months later did health workers "find out about the changes and point out the obvious injustice".
Directors are not interested.
They also claim that directors of health institutions are largely uninterested in actively participating in resolving the “serious issue.” Instead of engaging in finding solutions, they explain, “many newly elected directors have focused on expanding the Rulebook on Job Systematization.”
"These changes have led to an increase in the number of non-medical workers, both with secondary and higher education. This has unnecessarily increased the number of administrative and other jobs that do not provide direct health services. Although non-medical workers have an important role, their number is becoming worrying, because the allocations for their salaries are at the expense of medical workers who are crucial for the functioning of the health system."
They say that there is an urgent need to redefine priorities in the healthcare system. The key goal, they say, should be "the quality of healthcare services, not an unfounded increase in the number of administrative workers."
The collective agreement of the Institute for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Rheumatology in Igalo, they claim, has implemented "a fair correction and harmonized the coefficients between healthcare workers and non-medical workers with the same level of education." This, they say, is an example of how the GKU for healthcare should be regulated.
According to the Institute's Collective Agreement, as they state, all employees, i.e. non-medical and medical workers with level VI education, are paid salaries based on a coefficient of 9,37, and for level VII the coefficient is 11,91.
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