Striking doctors furious at least offer from government

He said that at least 50% of the extra funds could go towards higher salaries depending on the financial condition of a given hospital, but warned that there could be no guarantee that they would be the across the board guaranteed pay rise that doctors demand. What is certain is that young doctors will receive a 30% salary increase in 2008. There will also be zł.852 million extra made available for treatment later this month from the National Healthcare Fund. Gosiewski's comments infuriated union activists. "The government is effectively saying it will kindly give us a pay increase if we work more said Krzysztof Bukiel, leader of the doctors' union. Bukiel announced that doctors would escalate their protest, taking advantage of EU directives on maximum working hours for doctors. About 300 hospitals are affected by the strike. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 6) R.M.