The interim Minister of Health, Cseke Attila, claims to have received assurances from the Ministry of Labor that the incomes of medical system employees will not decrease with the implementation of the new salary law. At the same time, he states that the project has very little chance of being adopted in the immediate future, and if there is no political consensus, it should be abandoned.
The statements were made in the context of the general strike initiated for an indefinite period by healthcare employees, who contest the new salary law project and complain about the lack of social dialogue.
Asked about the union members' fears that some employees might lose part of their income, Cseke Attila said he had requested explanations from the Ministry of Labor.
"Assurances are that incomes will not decrease"
"Assurances are that incomes will not decrease, about 80% will see an increase in incomes, and 20% will enter the compensation system, meaning that current incomes will remain at the same level until 2031. But these are, once again, based on the information we receive," declared the interim minister.
He emphasized that the unified salary law project does not belong to the Ministry of Health, but to the Ministry of Labor, and that the institution he leads has only provided technical observations for the healthcare sector.
"This salary law project is not a healthcare salary law project, but a unified salary system for the public sector, so it is not a project initiated by the Ministry of Health," specified Cseke.
"If solutions are not found, this project should be abandoned"
As a UDMR parliamentarian, Cseke Attila expressed skepticism that the project could be quickly adopted in Parliament. "There are no short-term chances for this unified salary project to be adopted in Parliament," stated the minister.
He added that the project should only be promoted if there is an agreement among the coalition parties.
"Technical discussions are important, discussions with parliamentary groups to find solutions. If common solutions are found, it should be promoted and approved, if not, this project should be abandoned," said Cseke Attila.
According to the minister, there is currently no parliamentary majority supporting the law.
7,800 positions are set to be unblocked
Cseke Attila announced that the Ministry of Health has sent for inter-ministerial approval a memorandum for unblocking 7,800 positions in the healthcare system. According to it, after the document is approved by the Government, each hospital will receive the exact number of positions allocated to it and will be able to start the hiring procedures.
The minister specified that the new criteria favor hospitals with a high degree of complexity, treating more difficult cases, and will benefit from a larger number of unblocked positions.
However, union members claim that the need for personnel is estimated today at over 30,000 positions.
Cseke Attila also stated that the Ministry of Health continues its dialogue with the unions and that the institution's interest is for the general strike to end as soon as possible so that medical activities are not affected.