New collective agreements signed: Government of Zenica-Doboj Canton continues investments in healthcare and workers' rights

(Patria) - Minister of Health of Zenica-Doboj Canton Aida Salčinović today signed new collective agreements on the rights and obligations of employers and workers in the field of medicine and dentistry, as well as healthcare workers in the Zenica-Doboj Canton.

The new agreements, which will be in effect until the end of 2026, provide for an increase in the income of healthcare employees by more than six percent.

The signing of the agreements was attended by the Prime Minister of Zenica-Doboj Canton Nezir Pivić, who expressed satisfaction with the agreement reached between the Government of Zenica-Doboj Canton and the representatives of the unions, emphasizing that quality social dialogue with public sector employees has continued.

According to the provisions of the new collective agreements, the hourly wage has increased from 3.42 KM to 3.65 KM, while the compensation for past work has increased from 0.5 to 0.6 percent per year of service.

- The signing of new collective agreements is confirmation of the partnership and mutual trust between the Government of Zenica-Doboj Canton and the unions. In the next period, we expect to conclude collective agreements for the police, education, and civil servants.

In the past two and a half years, this is almost the third cycle of signing collective agreements, which shows the Government's commitment to continuously improve the position of employees, as well as working conditions in all sectors - said Prime Minister Pivić.

He emphasized that the Government of Zenica-Doboj Canton continuously invests significant funds in the healthcare sector, reminding that about five million KM is allocated annually for specializations and subspecializations of healthcare workers.

Also, this year more than eight million KM has been secured for the computerization of the healthcare system, while about 40 million KM is planned for investments in the Cantonal Hospital Zenica.

Pivić also reminded that funds have been secured for PET CT scans, thanks to which patients will no longer bear the costs of these services themselves or seek reimbursement.

The Health Insurance Fund of Zenica-Doboj Canton has secured an additional 700,000 KM for the provision of deficit healthcare services, and through a public call, private healthcare institutions will also be included in this process with the aim of reducing and completely eliminating waiting lists.

President of the Union of Doctors of Medicine and Dentistry Elvis Cikotić assessed that the new collective agreements represent a significant step forward in improving the rights of healthcare employees and the result of a fair and constructive dialogue with the Government of Zenica-Doboj Canton.

- Within the real financial possibilities, we have managed to achieve significant progress in the rights of healthcare workers. We expect that the implementation of the new collective agreements will also contribute to higher quality healthcare for the citizens of Zenica-Doboj Canton - said Cikotić.

He specified that the healthcare system of Zenica-Doboj Canton currently has about 5,000 employees in the public and private sectors, including about 740 doctors, and warned about the problem of a decrease in the number of doctors in primary healthcare, which is why new collective agreements provide for additional incentives for employees in this area.

President of the Union of Healthcare Workers of Zenica-Doboj Canton Zaim Begić stated that the new collective agreement will set the starting salary for nurses and technicians at over 1,700 KM.