Health workers stage 24-hour strike

On 3 February 2009 the National Organiser of Professional Guilds and Health Technicians, a group of 35 health worker associations, staged a 24-hour strike after its demands for a salary increase for its members were refused. Authorities at the Department of Health and the social security agency stated that they do not have the resources necessary to meet the workers' wage demands. The health workers announced that the strike may be extended if their requests are not met.