The Federation of Sanitary Solidarity is reacting to GEO’s approval of health salaries, calling it a “cheat order” because there is a very large difference between publicly announced benefits for health workers and actual benefits, and charging that the salary increase is “simulated”.

Trade unions say that the regulatory act adopted on Friday does not satisfy the demands of medical workers, so they are calling for the continuation of protest actions.

The Ministry of Labor announced on Friday that the government approved an emergency decree that introduces new measures for the salaries of staff in the public health system, which includes a salary increase from August 1 for medical and medical staff employed on a part-time basis. time on duty, as well as specialized medical and sanitary and auxiliary sanitary personnel who provide medical care.

The resolution also provides for the simplification of employment in the health care system, regulates that employees dismissed through collective dismissal after the cancellation of the medical center have the right to preferential reinstatement in the restored positions, in the same positions. activities, without an exam, competition and internship.

“Version of delusion”

“The extraordinary resolution that the government adopted at yesterday’s meeting, June 30, does not satisfy the requirements of health care workers. In addition, the form in which the government understood to transpose part of the demands of the “Solidarity of Health” Federation is not included in our list of demands.

These are, in particular, claims regarding the correct payment of labor, which ensures the continuity of the provision of medical services, for which the government has agreed to provide a fixed amount of compensation for the payment of these rights, with reference to the current basic salary,” – say the trade unions

The Federation “Solidarity of Sanitarians” declares that it has analyzed the impact of NP No. 1. 63/2023 on (…) the establishment of measures for remuneration in the health care system, highlighting the fact that this regulation is in fact a “Deception Regulation” because there is a very large difference between the publicly announced benefits for health care workers health and real benefits.

Unions say the government is shifting money from one pocket to another

According to the impact analysis, the majority of health care workers who should be granted GEO rights are in one of the following situations:

• They will not be able to exercise these rights because the unit exceeds the 30% cap related to bonuses and allowances (the dummy pay rise effect).
• They will benefit from these rights, but in return will lose other wage rights (especially due to reduced working conditions allowances) (the effect of apparent wage increases).
• Or they will use these rights, but under the conditions when incomes from wages of other categories of workers will decrease (the effect of transferring part of the income from one worker to another).

“To sum up, from the point of view of the Government’s claim to increase part of the salary income, the main effect of this regulatory act is actually the transfer of money from one pocket to another. This is a deliberate influence against which the “Solidarity of Health” Federation fought during the development and adoption of Law No. 1000. 153/2017.

Added to this effect of mimicking wage increases is the amplification of non-existent inequities and the introduction of new ones, the intervention actually exacerbates wage problems in the public health care system.

We do not know whether this result is due to ill will, incompetence, or both. It is only known that for the vast majority of health care workers, who should enjoy the rights specified in the regulatory act, the effect will be zero, where we do not even see a decrease in wages,” say representatives of the health care trade union. .

“No additional lei for medical workers who work in shifts”

In their opinion, the intention evident in the regulation to violate the previously agreed rules of the draft of the new salary law is just as serious: GEO no. 63/2023 sets as a precedent the replacement of the category of allowances, determined in percentages, the value of which in monetary terms is determined relative to the basic salary, with allowances in a fixed amount, established in the same way for all categories of employees with the same work schedule.

That is, an attempt to switch to “surcharges” (payments) in a fixed amount, equal for all employees, is visible. The equalization is downwards, recognizing the fact that some workers (many) will lose wage income in the new wage law (some of them already lose with the application of GEO No. 63/2023). This initiative is not new, it was also confirmed in the previous agreement, between the same parties, dated 26.X.2017.

“By introducing the payment of a fixed amount of salary rights related to doctors’ bodyguards, as well as non-working days for nurses and auxiliary medical staff, the government also violates the provisions of the Labor Code, which expressly state that these rights are calculated as a percentage of the official salary basic

If the government had followed the rules of negotiations with both representative health care federations and invited representatives of the “Solidarity of Health” Federation to the negotiations, this situation could have been avoided. Please note that one of our essential demands, namely the payment of the night/shift allowance to nurses and auxiliary medical staff (sanitaries, porters…) is not included in the government resolution adopted yesterday.

That is, the government has not allocated a single additional lei for medical workers who work in shifts,” the members of the federation claim.

They also state that the Government has included a provision in this order informing health professionals that the amounts currently provided are in fact the amounts they will take into account on January 1, 2024.

“In translation, the government will say in January 2024: ‘we gave you in August 2023, now you will get less (or nothing)’.” This is happening in conditions where at the moment there is still a lot of salary arrears to employees, according to the existing legal framework,” the trade unions say.

Protests continue, a general strike has been announced

Under these conditions, the protest program announced by the “Solidarity of Health” Federation continues both with protests that are already ongoing and those announced for July:

• Dismissal of doctors with CIM due to additional security (protest underway);
• Protest action of healthcare workers who ensure uninterrupted provision of medical services/facilities (ongoing protest);
• July 6, 2023 – picketing of all hospitals in the country;
• July 12, 2023 – Organization of the National Takeoff of Health Care Workers on Viktor Square;
• 07/19/2023 – Warning strike;
• July 27, 2023 – General strike.

“The demands of the Federation “Solidarity of Health” remain unchanged, they are supported together with protests on the street or in the courtyards of hospitals and 1,318 doctors who have signed up to the protest for the release of additional security, respectively, 5,268 workers who have signed up for the protest of workers who ensure continuity provision of medical services”, the trade unions conclude.

We would like to clarify that, trying to correct this disaster, the “Solidarity of Health” Federation sent an alternative proposal for a regulatory act to the Government. It is obvious that the practice of preferential social dialogue made this serious legislative error possible. (News.ro)