The Latvian Health and Social Care Workers’ Trade Union (LVSADA) plans to begin talks with the Ministry of Health (MoH) tomorrow, the 21st of August, regarding a 15% salary increase for medical staff and an additional 140 euros for support staff, said LVSADA Chairman Valdis Keris.
LVSADA has put forward these demands, arguing that the government has failed to ensure the sector’s competitiveness and referring to the Ministry of Finance’s (MoF) forecast of wage growth in the economy. The union justifies its demands with the MoF forecast, which foresees an average wage increase in the country of 13.5% combined over 2025 and 2026.
According to data from the Central Statistical Bureau, at the beginning of 2025 the average gross monthly salary for full-time work in Latvia was 1,757 euros. Higher-than-average wages were recorded in finance and insurance, information and communication services, energy, professional and technical services, public administration, mining, and also in the health and social care sector, where in the first quarter the average stood at 1,775 euros.
The union has also sent a letter outlining its demands to Saeima Speaker Daiga Mieriņa (Union of Greens and Farmers), parliamentary factions, Minister of Health Hosams Abu Meri (New Unity), Acting Head of the European Commission Representation in Latvia Andris Kužnieks, and Chairman of the Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia Egils Baldzēns. In the letter, LVSADA refers to the Public Health Guidelines 2021–2027 and
calls for a significant increase in state budget funding for healthcare.
LVSADA also points to conclusions in the European Commission’s report, which states that the low level of state funding for healthcare in Latvia is making services increasingly inaccessible to the population.
The trade union is urging the Saeima to act so that the 2026 state budget includes substantial additional funding for the MoH’s core functions. LVSADA calculates that funding currently available for the MoH’s core functions falls short of what is required under the Public Health Guidelines by around 650 million euros.
“For now we are not talking about protests, since negotiations are only just beginning,” Keris added, noting that LVSADA’s top priority at the moment is to raise wages for those working in the medical sector.
As reported, the union has also referred to Eurostat data showing that Latvia has the shortest “healthy life years” in the EU – 54.3 years for women and 51.2 years for men. The union attributes this to poor access to healthcare.
According to the study’s methodology,
healthy life years are defined as years lived without significant limitations in daily activities
due to health problems. This indicator is influenced not only by public health parameters but also by other factors, with access to healthcare playing a major role, the union stresses.
Based on the data, LVSADA notes that the share of people in Latvia unable to receive necessary healthcare services is among the highest in the EU, while Malta has the lowest proportion.
As reported, Health Minister Hosams Abu Meri (New Unity) has stated that no additional funding is available for the healthcare sector. The minister also acknowledged that an additional 500–700 million euros would be needed for healthcare financing.
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