Sanitas, the healthcare system’s largest trade union federation, is considering a nationwide strike in February, despite potential resumption of recruitment competitions. The discontent stems from dissatisfaction with wages among health union members.
The President of Sanitas Bucharest, Viorel Huşanu, declares that they will continue the steps to start the strike, even if the positions in the health system will be unlocked, because another important claim is salary increases.
“In November, the National Council of the Sanitas Federation decided to start protest movements, going as far as a general strike, expected sometime in early February. We are currently in the process of collecting signatures. By the 18th we should have a sufficient number of signatures collected, so that the eventual strike is not declared illegal, and this, with the unblocking of positions, is one more of our demands, in addition to income increases for all professional categories, from nurses, TESA staff, nurses to doctors”, says Viorel Huşanu.
The union leader estimates that this week the issue of unblocking the positions will be resolved, but stressed that this “is insufficient” because the positions will not be attractive in terms of pay. “At Gomoiu pediatric hospital, with an increase of only 12%, I don’t think anyone comes on a nurse’s salary of 3,000-4,000 lei. And last year, when they were unblocked, I know that there was no addressability at the Gomoiu hospital or at other hospitals where the increases are small. There is a very big difference, for four years now, between the increases between the units subordinated to the Ministry of Health and those subordinated to the local authorities – a difference of up to 30% in favor of the hospitals of the Ministry of Health”, says the leader of Sanitas.
Let us hope the police presence will not be so obvious in there protest this time. They are not criminals!