Members of the Trade Union of Doctors and Pharmaceutical Workers of Serbia (SLFS) continued their strike on Friday as no agreement was reached at today's meeting with the representatives of the Health Ministry on the fulfillment of the healthcare workers' requests.

Dragan Cvetic, the trade union's leader, told Tanjug that the strike will continue in more than 60 healthcare institutions across Serbia and announced that the remaining three healthcare unions will join the strike as of Monday.

Cvetic said that the meeting at the Health Ministry lasted only fifteen minutes, and once again showed "the ministry's ignorant relation towards healthcare workers." Assistance Health Minister Zorica Pavlovic stated at the meeting that she is not authorized to discuss the strikers' requests, said Cvetic, who believes that no further comments are necessary.

The strike started on April 17, and the union requests abolishment or postponement of the implementation of regulation on salary coefficients, which implies a 10 per cent salary reduction of all health care workers as of July 1.

Members of the union of healthcare and welfare workers held a protest in downtown Belgrade on Thursday, demanding better salaries.During the strike, the workers are meeting the required minimum of work, which entails providing medical assistance to pregnant women, children, elderly and those in need of emergency care.