MEDICAL WORKERS IN B&H ON STRIKE

Heroes Demanding Salaries

AIM Sarajevo, July 16, 1996

About eight thousand health workers of Bosnia & Herzegovina are on general strike since Monday. They demand from the Government of the Federation to ensure average monthly salaries of 500 DM for them, to pay all their outstanding salaries, to make a valuation of their work during the war as it was done for members of the armed forces, and to finally adopt the law on health insurance and health services.

After the spring strike of miners from Central Bosnian mines, who succeeded in forcing out salaries amounting to 230 German marks, this is the second social rebellion the state of Bosnia & Herzegovina is faced with, which is with no doubt a direct result of the war. Health workers announced this measure on May 6 already, when they sent a letter with the demand to have their difficulties resolved. However, they have never gpt an answer, and no agreement was reached last week either when representatives of the Government of the Federation and Independent Professional Trade Union of Health Workers in B&H held a few meetings.

Because of the strike, health institutions received only the most urgent cases on Monday and Tuesday. Physicians and other medical personnel regularly came to work, and at the time when this text was written, there was not much chance that an agreement with the Government would be reached.

The Government of the Federation simply has no money to meet the demands of medical workers. They are, however, tired of being called "heroes in white" as they were referred to by the politicians and the journalists during the war because of the job they were doing. They believe that time has come for them not to work only for praise, but for salaries they could live on.

Judging by the first reactions, revolt of the physicians has not met with much understanding of the current authorities. Dr Hasan Muratovic, Prime Minister of the republican Government, declared on Monday in Oslobodjenje that he did "not know who the physicians were striking against". He assessed that there was not much chance to meet the demands of the doctors, and clarified the whole affair by provoking with the follwoing conclusion: "They say that they have low salaries and difficult jobs. It is both true, but there are many people who have no job at all and no salary whatsoever".

But, Abdulah Konjicija, Chairman of the Chamber of Citizens in the Assembly of the Republic B&H, who is also a physician, has quite the opposite opinion. He accuses the Government "for not having taken care of these people-heroes although there was a series of possibilities to do so" and that "it is impossible to live on air and water".

The strike of the physicians is in essence, just a reflection of the catastrophic situation the economy of Bosnia & Herzegovina is in. Seven months of peace have not been sufficient to significantly rehabilitate the economy, nor is the aid of the international community arriving in promised quantities. On the other hand, the aid offered by humanitarian organizations has been significantly reduced and humanitarian aid which was distributed during the war is nowadays received only by persons with absolutely no means of support. All those who are even formally employed have been deleted from lists of recipients.

At the same time, the state is doing its best to introduce some order in collecting taxes. Penalties for tax offences have become more rigid, and the authorities have a lot of understanding for the efforts of the municipal services to introduce order into charging for their services. A few days ago, for instance, rent prices have gone up. Although still symbolic, the sum of approximately 18 German marks for a small two-room apartment, is too great a burden for citizens who have no income at all. It is similar with electric power supply, and the electric company even for the smallest debt is resorting to the ultimate measure - disconnection of consumers who fail to pay.

Simply, a vicious circle has been created. The state wishes to charge from its citizens who have no money. The citizens, the small portion of them which is fortunate to be employed, accuse the state for their troubles and demand earnings on which it is possible to live. And the general strike of physicians is just another direct result of such a situation whose characteristic is general lack of money. Contrary to the revolt of miners when the Government found solution in settlement of debts between the Electric Company and the mines, it will be much more difficult to settle accounts, because this time the state has to reach directly into its own purse.

The discussion about justification of the strike began in the public of B&H on its very first day. Questions are being asked whether demands of the medical workers are realistic, because they are part of the public sector which is financed directly by the state, from domestic resources. All analyses indicate that the state at the moment is not capable of meeting even the minimum obligations to the public sector, and especially to fulfill the demands concerning average salaries amounting, in B&H circumstances, to the still high 500 DM. On the other hand, salaries in the non-economic activities are exceptionally high, so, for example, the monthly price of an English translator on the Sarajevo market is about 2,000 DM.

Economist Dr Meho Basic assesses that at this moment in the Federation, salaries of employees in the public sector can be hardly reach between 150 and 200 DM, and that there is no money for higher salaries.

Such explanations, however, do not satisfy the doctotrs on strike. Dr Abdulah Nakas, President of the Independent Professional Trade Union of Health Workers is resolute that interruption of work will last until the demands are met or until someone proves that they are unjustified. He also responded to accusations of Prime Minister Muratovic by reminding him that B&H, apart from being multicultural and multiethnic, must have the inherent right to profit and strike. According to him, strike is an ultimate measure, and it is the result of persistent silence of the authorities to complaints addressed to them.

Strike of physicians, because of its scope but also its significance, is a bitter pill for the authorities among other because it is taking place at the time of pre-election activities, when the general trend is to sweep under the carpet everything that is bad.

Opposition parties readily joined in politicizing the revolt of the physicians. The Party for B&H with its leader Haris Silajdzic, former prime minister, fully supports demands of the strikers. The Republican Party also backed the medical workers. The ruling Party of Democratic Action remained silent, and to make the paradox even greater, Dr Abdulah Nakas is himself a member of its Main Board and one of its candidates in the forthcoming elections.

The effort to limit the strike and resolution of its problems solely on the, conditionally speaking, Bosniac part of B&H is highly indicative. Physicians in Herzeg Bosna are not on strike, because they already have a developed system of remuneration of their own. Minister of health, Bozo Ljubic, does not participate in negotiations with the strikers, nor does he indend to interrupt his vacation because of it. He threw the hot potato into the lap of his deputy Ibrahim Ramic and Federal Prime Minister Izudin Kapetanovic. Ljubic has, in fact, indirectly let the Bosniacs know that this was "their problem".

The strike of physicians, as already hinted, opens the possibility for the education workers to follow in their footsteps.

SEJAD LUCKIN