Well being Minister Michael Damianos on Sunday mentioned he’s “optimistic” that an ongoing dispute between docs and the state well being companies organisation (Okypy) can be resolved inside the week.
He mentioned he’ll meet once more with docs’ commerce unions on Thursday to “talk about how we are able to cooperate in order that this example can finish”.
“I’m very optimistic that we’ll discover a resolution. There was a strike, which may have been averted, however we should look forward,” he mentioned.
To this finish, he identified that the strike motion taken by docs was dropped at an finish after 48 hours, with docs not at the moment planning to escalate their measures.
“There can be a dialogue, clearly we will even put one thing on the desk, as a result of as I’ve mentioned, I imagine that there’s some compromise there with which we are able to proceed,” he mentioned.
He then added that the answer “can’t be something however holistic”, and that “now we have to shut this deal, now we have to complete this”.
“After all, there may be the monetary facet, there may be additionally the half through which we need to guarantee peace when it comes to labour relations going ahead, not only for months, however for years,” he added.
The dispute between docs and Okypy which led to the strike centres on the fee of performance-based bonuses. Docs insist they’re owed €4.5 million in monetary incentives for 2023. Okypy had supplied them €4.1m in July, earlier than an unbiased evaluation discovered that they have been owed simply €2.5m, infuriating the docs.
They insisted in the course of the strike that they have been prepared to talk at any time to resolve the problem, notably with a view to setting the parameters for pay going ahead. Nonetheless, they’re additionally eager to reopen the matter of pay for the yr 2023 – a matter Okypy has insisted is closed.
Okypy mentioned any resolution to the dispute “should be holistic”, and mentioned an settlement ought to cowl monetary incentives between 2023 and 2027.
Docs’ union Pasyki chairman Sotiris Koumas described assembly between unions, Damianos, and Okypy final Thursday as “constructive”, and mentioned his union “feels vindicated”.
In the meantime, fellow union Pasydy’s docs’ department chairman Moses Lambrou mentioned discussions will proceed and refuted allegations that the strike motion had been “irresponsible”.
Damianos had mentioned earlier that he was “positive that inside the framework of broader cooperation and understanding, options can be discovered”, although he didn’t go into element relating to the particulars of the dialogue.
“The options are there, and I’m positive that we can transfer ahead,” he added, saying, “the dialogue is beginning as soon as once more and an answer should actually be discovered, in order that this story, these strikes, can finish, and in order that the organisation can transfer ahead.”
