Doctors in Bosnia's Serb republic went on strike Wednesday to protest a three-month arrear in payment of their wages, their union said.
Union leader Milenko Granolic told the press that only emergencies would be dealt with during the strike.
Social unrest, less than two weeks before general elections in Bosnia scheduled for November 11, has been increasing in Republika Srpska.
Teachers were on strike last week, and railways workers went on strike Tuesday, their second protest in the last two weeks.
The average salary in the RS is 268 German marks (137 euros), while the bureau for statistics estimates that 421 marks (215 euros) are needed to cover the basic needs of a four-member family.
The unemployment rate stands at over 50 percent and experts warn that dozens of thousands more could lose their job under the current privatizations process.
According to Bosnia's central government figures, the RS' debt reaches some 670 million dollars out of two billion dollars that Bosnia owns altogether -- BANJA LUKA (AFP)
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