The Health Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that all legal conditions have been met to end the ongoing hospital strike but that despite that, the president oft he Croatian Physicians' Union, Ivica Babic, had announced instructions to striking doctors to intensify this industrial action as of Monday.
The ministry recalls that since the strike started on 18 September, Babic had changed conditions for discontinuation of the strike and the continuation of negotiations several times. Although the nurses stopped striking and returned to the negotiating table to discuss the new collective agreement, Babic continues to insist on strike, despite the ministry's readiness to meet all legally founded conditions, the statement said.
Babic said on several occasions that the reason for launching the strike was the fact that he had not received the ministry's position on his proposed collective agreement in writing, but the ministry claims it sent its written opinion on 12 August.
The ministry warns that on 24 September, Babic said the strike would end if an agreement on paying overtime is reached, in accordance with Croatian regulations and the European practice, which was never in question for the health ministry.
Health Minister Rajko Ostojic said when the strike was first announced in July that his objective was to reach an agreement on paying overtime in negotiations on the new collective agreement and that negotiations need to be intensified so that the newly-defined rights could be applied already in September, the statement said.
The nurses' union ended the strike at 7pm on Thursday.
