Nurses’ salary rise in dispute

SOME regional and municipal hospitals are refusing to increase their nurses’ salaries even though the Slovak government passed legislation authorising a salary increase as of April 1, the Sme daily reported.

SOME regional and municipal hospitals are refusing to increase their nurses’ salaries even though the Slovak government passed legislation authorising a salary increase as of April 1, the Sme daily reported.

“We have signals that the change in salaries will be only partially realised,” said Marián Petko, the president of the Association of Hospitals of Slovakia, as quoted by Sme.

Petko added that the state-run health insurer, Všeobecná Zdravotná Poisťovňa (VšZP), has provided additional funds to the hospitals to cover the nurses’ salary increases but that other health insurers have not done so. Petko said the additional funds from VšZP will cover only 25 to 30 percent of the cost of the higher salaries.

Sme wrote that hospitals in Trnava Region will increase the salaries of their nurses but also plan to file three criminal complaints against the state because of the legislation.

Hospitals in Banská Bystrica Region have prepared new employment contracts for their nurses to avoid paying the flat salary increase, Sme wrote, adding that the hospitals said their nurses will either sign the new agreements, which reduce their working hours by two-thirds, or they will lose their jobs.

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