The Latvian Health and Social Care Workers’ Trade Union (LVSADA) demand for an additional 133 million euro to raise medical workers’ salaries by at least 13.5% is currently not realistic, according to Minister of Health Hosams Abu Meri (New Unity).
His communications adviser Ilona Oša noted that Latvia’s fiscal space for next year amounts to just over 150 million euros in total, and this needs to be allocated across many crucial sectors, including security and demography.
However, if additional fiscal space becomes available, priority will be given to raising the lowest salaries — especially those of nurses, whose pay still significantly lags behind the EU average, Abu Meri promised.
At the same time, the minister pointed out that medical staff salaries were already increased in 2024, and doctors’ salaries are now close to the European benchmark when compared to the national average wage. He recalled that an agreement was reached last year allowing
the wage fund to grow by 2.6%, the same as in the rest of the public sector.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has already “seriously reviewed its options and done everything possible to preserve both the availability of existing services and the salary fund” in order to make savings, as requested by the Ministry of Finance (MoF), Abu Meri added.
He again stressed that he has publicly and in talks with LVSADA acknowledged the sector’s critical situation, especially regarding human resources.
In the minister’s view, medical salaries must continue to grow. “We agree with the trade union that the Latvian context is no longer the only benchmark — we need to ensure access to medical professionals not only in Riga, but also in the regions,” he said, adding that there is a risk of staff being lured away to other countries.
As reported, LVSADA has demanded that a decision on additional funding for the healthcare sector, including wage increases, be made by the 19th of September, when the National Tripartite Cooperation Council will meet.
Otherwise, the union has threatened to launch a collective labour dispute procedure.
LVSADA’s initial demand was for a 15% pay rise for medical personnel and an additional €140 per month for support staff.
The union argued that the government has failed to ensure the sector’s competitiveness and based its demands on MoF forecasts of wage growth in the national economy, which predict an average wage increase of 13.5% over 2025 and 2026 combined.
The union sent a letter outlining its demands to politicians and other stakeholders. In it, LVSADA referred to the Public Health Guidelines 2021–2027 and called for a significant increase in state budget funding for healthcare.
LVSADA also cited a European Commission report stating that Latvia’s low level of public funding for healthcare is making it increasingly inaccessible to the population. The union urged the Saeima to ensure that the 2026 state budget includes substantial additional funding for the MoH’s core functions, noting that current funding falls short of the level set in the Public Health Guidelines by around 650 million euros.
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