The vast majority of the members of the Icelandic Medical Association, 90 percent, voted in favor of the new wage contract with the state in an online vote which concluded at midnight on Friday. The contract has been published on the association’s website.
Chair of the Icelandic Medical Association Þorbjörn Jónsson told RÚV that the most significant changes concern the salaries and work arrangement of doctors. The salary increase varies between groups of doctors but no one gets less than 20 percent.
The salary increase will be introduced in steps. The first increase will be retroactive from June 1, 2014, and will come with a lump sum of approximately ISK 160,000 (USD 1,210, EUR 1,043) at the end of this month.
Doctors will be looking at further salary increases in 2016 and 2017 and further lump sums in mid-2015 and mid-2016. The wage contract will be valid until April 30, 2017.
Þorbjörn said he is pleased with the unity among doctors—who have taken turns striking since last autumn—throughout the entire negotiation period. He hopes that doctors who have resigned will reconsider their resignations in light of the new contract.
Of the ten to 15 doctors who have resigned from Landspítali University Hospital in Reykjavík recently, only one is known to have withdrawn his resignation, ruv.is pointed out yesterday.
Almost 86 percent of the members of the Association of Surgeons in Iceland, who have also been on strike, accepted the new wage contract with the state last weekend, ruv.is reports.
