Stakes go up: government ups nurse salary raise proposal from zl.178 to zl.203

Salaries in the Polish healthcare system can increase by zl.203 a month next year, the government agreed yesterday, raising its previous offer of zl.178 proposed to the protesting nurses on Tuesday. Yesterday the cabinet decided that for the next two years patients' funds would not have to repay the loan from the budget, which they took in 2000. This means the budget will not receive the planned zl.200 million and the retained money could be spent on salary increases. Those healthcare units which are better off, will be allowed to raise their workers' wages even more but on the condition that they do not aggravate their financial situation. The news was a surprise to the protesting nurses. "On Tuesday the government swore it would not find any more money for raises [than the zl.170 per person]. The new proposal was not presented to us," said Ilona Tulodziecka, one of the nurses' leaders. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A3) J.K.