GROUPS of medical and nursing staff in the Balearics may be going on strike over a disputed improved pay and working conditions agreement.
The Balearic health service (IB-Salut) is having to take responsibility for paying out an extra 2'700'000 euros in the form of salary increases for staff to comply with an agreement signed between the previous Balearic government (Partido Popular) and health worker unions. Josep M. Pomar, IB-Salut director said yesterday said that the agreement related to better pay and working conditions for Emergency service workers - ambulance crews.
Not everyone is happy however. Cemsatse, the medical and nursing staff union are threatening to strike because they claim that IB-Salut has not fulfilled its obligations to them with regard to a legally recognised improved pay and working conditions agreement. This was disputed however by Pomar who said that it's not correct to talk about breaking an agreement, because - he added- although papers were signed on 25th May this year as the unions are suggesting, they were not given the seal of approval afterwards by the Personnel Committee, nor were they given the green light by the Balearic government.
The conflict will be up for discussion this Monday, 3rd December at a Health Sector meeting at which, Pomar hopes, negotiations at preventing the strike will be successful. He said that the unions don't really have an axe to grind because the pay increase agreed on will appear in workers' pay packets this month. The contentious issues, he said, relate to night-time and public holiday pay.