Several public sector strikes continue

Two teachers’ unions, as well as police and health care unions have announced new strikes, said reports. Classes have returned to normal in some schools, while some teachers have cut classes 15 minutes short or are not working at all, depending on the union they belong to. Several public sector strikes continue The striking teachers will not give up on their last request – to have 18 to 20 percent salary increase by the end of the year. The Main Board of the Association of Teachers' Trade Unions of Serbia will hold a session in Cacak today to decide on the fate of the strike. Association of Teachers’ Trade Unions of Serbia President Leonardo Erdelji and Independence Trade Union President Tomislav Zivanovic agree that they will not give up on their last platform. Erdelji said that the two unions would not give up on their requests. “Here, you see in the newspaper misdemeanor charges against ministers who unlawfully spent the funds, then when we put everything together you know how teachers are poor and miserable, we won’t give up on this. There will be a strike. If the minister is making the education absurd, we will in the end tell the people that we are going to help the minister, because the people should help us, parents, if they want quality education. We really want quality,” Zivanovic stressed. Health care workers to hold warning strike New Union of Health Care Workers representatives will today hold a warning strike today. They will gather in front of the Health Ministry at 11:30 CET and demand a 30 percent raise. Even though health care workers agree that their salaries are low, their unions are not united. Nurses and Medical Technicians’ Union President Dragan Bisenic and Doctors and Pharmacists’ Union of Serbia President Dragan Cvetic told B92 that aside from low wages, health care workers had many other problems that were affecting their ability to help the patients. The two unions did not protest but their representatives point out that they are dissatisfied. “Doctors’ dissatisfaction is multiple, situation in primary health care is pretty chaotic, there is a huge administration, regulations and rules of the game are changed on a daily basis, there are a lot of patients, we don’t have enough doctors, there are not enough specialists, we are missing anesthesiologists, radiologists, pathologists and the list is getting longer,” Cvetic told B92. Bisenic also told B92 that it was easy to go on strike but difficult to end it and that it was not serious enough to have too high demands which could not be fulfilled in the end. “The smaller the union the bigger demands. You know, it’s not a problem to gather a thousand people in front of the government headquarters in 24 hours and ask for a 50 percent increase, the question is how serious that is. It is very easy to go on strike, it’s much more difficult to end it. A union that requests a 30 percent increase and in the end finishes negotiations with a five percent is an unsuccessful union in my opinion, and it is a sort of a manipulation of the members. We did not come out with percentage, because no matter which percentage you say at the moment, it is not realistic,” he explained. Police union continues strike The Independent Trade Union of Police is still on strike. The union’s members, who went on strike last Thursday, request a 30 percent increase in salary, new uniforms, changes to some articles of the Law on Police and special collective agreement. Personal documents and license plates are only issued in emergency situations. Police Union of Serbia has given the government 14 days to decide on the harmonized draft of the special collective agreement for police officers. The union has announced that its members will go on strike on February 18 if their demands are not met by then.

Several public sector strikes continue

The striking teachers will not give up on their last request – to have 18 to 20 percent salary increase by the end of the year.

The Main Board of the Association of Teachers' Trade Unions of Serbia will hold a session in Čačak today to decide on the fate of the strike.

Association of Teachers’ Trade Unions of Serbia President Leonardo Erdelji and Independence Trade Union President Tomislav Živanović agree that they will not give up on their last platform.

Erdelji said that the two unions would not give up on their requests.

“Here, you see in the newspaper misdemeanor charges against ministers who unlawfully spent the funds, then when we put everything together you know how teachers are poor and miserable, we won’t give up on this. There will be a strike. If the minister is making the education absurd, we will in the end tell the people that we are going to help the minister, because the people should help us, parents, if they want quality education. We really want quality,” Živanović stressed.

Health care workers to hold warning strike

New Union of Health Care Workers representatives will today hold a warning strike today. They will gather in front of the Health Ministry at 11:30 CET and demand a 30 percent raise.

Even though health care workers agree that their salaries are low, their unions are not united.

Nurses and Medical Technicians’ Union President Dragan Bisenić and Doctors and Pharmacists’ Union of Serbia President Dragan Cvetić told B92 that aside from low wages, health care workers had many other problems that were affecting their ability to help the patients.

The two unions did not protest but their representatives point out that they are dissatisfied.

“Doctors’ dissatisfaction is multiple, situation in primary health care is pretty chaotic, there is a huge administration, regulations and rules of the game are changed on a daily basis, there are a lot of patients, we don’t have enough doctors, there are not enough specialists, we are missing anesthesiologists, radiologists, pathologists and the list is getting longer,” Cvetić told B92.

Bisenić also told B92 that it was easy to go on strike but difficult to end it and that it was not serious enough to have too high demands which could not be fulfilled in the end.

“The smaller the union the bigger demands. You know, it’s not a problem to gather a thousand people in front of the government headquarters in 24 hours and ask for a 50 percent increase, the question is how serious that is. It is very easy to go on strike, it’s much more difficult to end it. A union that requests a 30 percent increase and in the end finishes negotiations with a five percent is an unsuccessful union in my opinion, and it is a sort of a manipulation of the members. We did not come out with percentage, because no matter which percentage you say at the moment, it is not realistic,” he explained.

Police union continues strike

The Independent Trade Union of Police is still on strike. The union’s members, who went on strike last Thursday, request a 30 percent increase in salary, new uniforms, changes to some articles of the Law on Police and special collective agreement.

Personal documents and license plates are only issued in emergency situations.

Police Union of Serbia has given the government 14 days to decide on the harmonized draft of the special collective agreement for police officers. The union has announced that its members will go on strike on February 18 if their demands are not met by then.