The Ministry of Health prepares a new proposal to comply with the salary increase and improve the conditions for portfolio workers, as the budget law sends.
The announcement occurs after dialogue with representatives of the healthy ones who expressed their disagreement the increase provided in Q1 thousand per month for line workers 011, 021, 022 and 031, and a single bonus of Q2 thousand for Advisors 029 and hired under subgroup 18.
In the next few days, Health will present the new proposal to the Technical Directorate of the Budget of the Ministry of Public Finance, which will evaluate its feasibility. The National Civil Service Office (ONSEC) must also review it.
“We have the will and commitment to advance in the application of article 140, leading a technical, legal and responsible process,” says a statement released yesterday on social networks.
The salary increase approved by the Congress is a capital problem for the Ministry of Health, because, by allocating resources for the payment of a commitment established in a temporary law-Decree 36-2024-, this year’s budget will be committed and of the coming, money that could well be directed to priority programs, according to analysts ..
Last November, the Congress of the Republic approved Decree 36-2024 and the amendment to article 140-by the union pressure-, which included A salary increase and economic incentive for all staffas well as the reclassification of all health workers, when initially only the continuation of temporary contractors to permanent lines and the increase to the amount of the studies scholarships for the Epesists of the Medicine career were proposed.
But no source of their own financing was established, but The Ministry of Health must readjust its budget to fulfill that commitment this year; However, the salary increase that is determined will have to stay over time, then It becomes an acquired right of workers.
At the discretion of the former health minister Juan Antonio Villeda Recinos, the portfolio had to challenge that amendment at the time, because now the only way out is to make budgetary modifications in strategic lines, focused on patient care, and transfer them to the payment of wages and fees.
He pointed out that the salary increase is counterproductive, because they do not have enough resources to grant it and, even if they were, it is unlikely that attention is improved in the services, since a better pay does not directly affect the work performance of the workers.
Therefore, the Ministry of Health has to be “very prudent” when responding to the demands of the health.
“You should not compromise beyond what you really assure you to end the year in the minimum conditions of dignified attention to the population; otherwise, workers will increase a salary closer to their expectations, but it will neglect the provision of inputs, and that will have an impact on social struggles, in popular discontent,” added the ex -minister.
The San Juan de Dios National Union proposes a salary increase of Q 2,500 for all workers in a dependency relationship, and two bonds of Q 3,500 for those hired in lines 029 and in subgroup 18. However, however, The Ministry of Health offered that 1 thousand of increase and a single bonus of Q 2 thousand; That is the proposal that rose to the Ministry of Public Finance to evaluate its feasibility.
Trade unionists argue that the offer does not meet their expectations and They would be willing to negotiate a salary improvement between Q 1,800 and Q 2,000.
As for transfers to squares 011, there are 30 thousand 402 workers who, according to trade unionists, must go through that process; However, this year the Ministry can only move to 13%.
Excess human resource
Villeda Recinos mentions that the economic resources of the Ministry of Health are limited, even more when considering that about 85% of its budget is used to pay the human resourcebecause with each change of administration there is excessive contracting of personnel, many with wages or fees above the average, which limits the investment to ensure the attention of the population.
The portfolio has more than 60 thousand workers, as the trade unionists have reported.
The former official considers that increasing salary using a temporary law, such as article 140 of Decree 36-2024, will have a long-term impact on the budget.
“The guilt is made by officials, because they negotiate with the unions to achieve governance and end up giving them increases, places or contracts,” he added.
A consideration of the interviewee, the mobilizations of the healthy ones represent the best time for the Ministry of Health to take the leadership, convene a discussion table to restructure the portfolio and rethink the direction of public health, which transforms from a human resource financial entity to one that assumes the role of serving the population.
Long -term impact
Ricardo Barrientos, of the Central American Institute of Fiscal Studies (ICEFI), indicates that article 140 of Decree 36-2024 is a law with validity only during the period from January 1 to December 31, 2025. Although it is temporary, it must be complied with and fulfilled.
The problem is that, by granting the salary and bonus to the workers, the budget of the Ministry of Health of this year will not only be affected, but will also impact on the following years, because, from the moment the workers receive these improvements, they will become acquired rights and affect the labor liability.
It is not the only technical failure of this article. Barrientos indicates that Nor is a source of financing established To meet the increase and economic incentive for workers, or for the other three points that also affect the budget.
What is mentioned is that the portfolio must do the readcations it deems necessary to fulfill these commitments.
The analyst points out that, so far, neither the Ministry of Finance nor Health have officially made public, the calculations of the fiscal impact that would imply complying with what is stipulated in article 140.
He adds that in Decree 36-2024 there are several anti-technical provisions that were warned by ICEFI since last year, but the authorities ignored.
“The problem is that this is an article is already in law, and the law should not be interpreted, it must be complied with. It is a law that, no matter how temporary, is an order that Congress gave to the Executive,” he adds.
- New proposal
Through a statement dated April 8, the Ministry of Health reported that it works in a new proposal to comply with what is established in article 140 of Decree 36-2024, and reiterates that promotes dialogue with representatives of the health personnel.
In the next few days, it will be presented to the Technical Directorate of the Budget of the Ministry of Public Finance, which will evaluate its budgetary feasibility. The National Civil Service Office (ONSEC) must also review it.
“We have the will and commitment to advance in the application of article 140, leading a technical, legal and responsible process,” says the document published on social networks.
The initial proposal of the Ministry of Health consisted of an increase of Q1 thousand per month for line workers 011, 021, 022 and 031, and a single bonus of Q2 thousand for advisors 029 and hired under subgroup 18.
After various spaces for dialogue 🤝 with representatives of health personnel, we are building a new proposal that will be presented in the next few days, for the implementation of the #Article140 of budget 2025. 📄
Our commitment is firm: build solutions … pic.twitter.com/c60dlaakho
– Ministry of Public Health (@minsaludguate) April 8, 2025