19.12.2016.
Defence Minister meets representatives of the Trade Union “Sloga”
Defence Minister Zoran Djordjevic has talked today with representatives of Serbian United Trade Union “Sloga” including the members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces.
The main topic of conversation was the situation in the military health care system because the primary target group of the Trade Union “Sloga” are the employees in the military health care system and at the Military Medical Academy.
Minister Djordjevic has answered all questions of the Trade Union “Sloga” representatives, presented a plan, with a special emphasis on the plans for reorganization of the military health care system.
“Strengthening of polyclinic treatment, integration of procurement and drafting provisional contracts, transfer of the MMA Faculty of Medicine to the University of Defence, as well as establishment of special working hours of doctors for treatment of our members are only some of the planned changes with the aim to make health care of the members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces better and more efficient”, Minister Djordjevic stressed.
He emphasized once again that there will be neither lay-offs in the military health care system nor reduction of the existing capacities.
The president of Serbian United Trade Union “Sloga” Zeljko Veselinovic stressed necessity for a dialogue and said that this conversation was useful in order to inform members of the Trade Union objectively.
Dragan Motic, the representative of the military trade union within the trade union “Sloga”, who has supported the recent protests, said that “we are all a little guilty for the protest happening”.
“The protest should not have happened, but it did, now we have to continue”, Motic added.
One of the topics of the talks was the possibility of signing the collective agreement for the members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces.
Minister Djordjevic said that he strives, as usual, for the improvement of the financial status of all employees and that he endorses every proposal with the same aim. However, we should bear in mind what employees get and lose by signing the collective agreement and in those negotiations all parties should be entirely open and transparent.
During the conversation Minister once again stressed that he is open and ready for talks with all representatives of the trade unions in defence system in order to solve together all open questions by a dialogue with the aim to improve the financial status of the members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces.
