Monday's meeting between Health Minister Rajko Ostojic and representatives of one nurses' union failed to result in any solutions that could prevent a strike in hospitals which the union said would start at 7 am on Wednesday.
There is no way to postpone the strike, the union's leader, Anica Prasnjak, told reporters, adding that this was the last meeting with the minister before the strike.
Ostojic once again invited the unions in healthcare to social dialogue, saying he could not be held accountable for his predecessors' moves, but that in a new collective agreement, the payment of overtime for nurses would be precisely defined.
We are continuing with the social dialogue and after the strike we have to sit at the table and renew the negotiations, he said.
Doctors' and nurses' unions demand a collective agreement that will be signed on their behalf by their unions and not by another union to their detriment.
The unions said the strike would last until their demands, including extra payments for on-call duty and overtime, were met.
