Hawk24
After difficult negotiations that went to mediation, the Health Care Confederation announced on Thursday about conflict measures. “The offer we received from the employers is not enough to meet the challenges in the Swedish healthcare system,” says Sineva Ribeiro, president of the Swedish Healthcare Association. The parties agree that the mediation will continue, SKR states.
The healthcare association announced on Thursday about conflict measures for members in all regions and four municipal companies in Stockholm. The notice consists of an overtime block, an overtime block and a new hire block, and about 63,000 members are affected.
– We have tried to gain a hearing for our demands for sustainable, equal full-time jobs and a good wage trend within the framework of both bargaining and mediation. But the offer we received from the employers is not enough to meet the challenges in the Swedish healthcare system. People die waiting for care and the members of the Vårdförbundet find it increasingly difficult. We have wanted to see solutions to save healthcare, but SKR/Sobona have not shown that will. Therefore, today we have announced conflict measures, says Sineva Ribeiro, chairman of the Healthcare Association, according to a press release.
They are covered by the Swedish Care Association’s notice
The notice applies to an overtime, overtime, and new employment blockade in all regions as well as Ambulancesjukvården in Storstockholm Aktiebolag, Södersjukhuset AB, Danderyds sjukhus AB and Capio S:t Görans sjukhus AB.
According to the press release, the announced industrial action will take effect on Thursday, April 25 at 4:00 p.m. This means that members must not work overtime or overtime thereafter and the employer cannot carry out new hires within the Health Care Association’s occupational groups that are covered.
– Our professional groups worked around 3 million hours of overtime last year, every third member regularly works overtime. It clearly shows the system error in Swedish healthcare. The regions overuse the employees with short-term methods instead of long-term improving conditions and working environment so that more people want and can work full-time in care, says Sineva Ribeiro according to the press release.
This is how you are affected as a member
Who is affected by the notification?
- The notice covers everyone within the Swedish Healthcare Association’s four professional groups – nurses, midwives, biomedical analysts and radiology nurses – in all regions and four municipal companies in Stockholm. Employees who are not members of the Health Care Association are also covered.
When does the blockade come into effect?
- The blockade applies from 25 April 2024 at 4 p.m.
What does the blockade mean for me as notified?
- This means that you must not work overtime or overtime during the time that the blockade applies. You must also be careful about taking your breaks, because working on breaks is working overtime/overtime. During an ongoing conflict action, the employer can order you to work under cover. This means that you have to do the work even if it means overtime/overtime.
How am I affected as a senior member by the blockade?
- You who are a manager member are covered by the overtime and overtime blockade. Exempted are those who work as operations manager, administrative manager, employees with the position of administrative manager and employees who regularly represent the employer in collective agreement negotiations.
What applies to me who works in staffing?
- The agreement being negotiated does not concern you who work in staffing. But you can be affected by the fact that your colleagues are involved in a conflict and are not allowed to work overtime or overtime.
Source: The Healthcare Association
SKR: “Regrettable”
SKR and Sobona have received the Vårdförbundet’s notice of conflict measures. SKR and Sobona analyze the notification and what consequences it has for the welfare’s operations.
– The healthcare union chose to refuse the mediators’ home location and instead to notify industrial action. It is regrettable. We are always ready to find constructive solutions and the ambition is to reach a new agreement as soon as possible, says Jeanette Hedberg, SKR’s head of negotiations, in a press release.
The healthcare union’s demands for shorter working hours and salary increases above the mark would mean large cost increases for municipalities and regions, SKR believes.
– The financial space in municipalities and regions is extremely limited. Just following the industrial mark means cost increases of a total of SEK 21 billion. Further changes to the conditions, such as for example shortening working hours, would mean many more billions of kroner. We want to make long-term, joint investments around important issues such as the work environment, supply of skills, working time rules and the salary process, says Jeanette Hedberg in the press release.
According to SKR, it is agreed with the Vårdförbundet that the mediators who have so far assisted the parties, Gunilla Runnquist and Göran Gräslund, should continue to mediate in the negotiations for a new agreement.
Glossary in case of conflict
Peace obligation
Employers and employees bound by collective agreements and their organizations may not take conflict measures against each other as long as the collective agreement is in force.
Conflict notification
Before conflict measures are taken, the other party must be informed about the measures.
Conflict resolution
An action taken against the counterparty to put pressure, for example a work stoppage (strike), overtime/overtime blockade or new hire blockade. The word industrial action is also used.
Lockout
The employer suspends the employee from work.
Mediation
A method of trying to get the parties to agree. The method means that outsiders are appointed to help the parties reach an agreement.
Sympathy action
Conflict Action to support another party in its legal conflict.
Source: Vårdförbundet
Sineva Ribeiro: “We want to save healthcare”
In the contract negotiations, the Vårdförbundet has called for, among other things, sustainable, equal full-time jobs and a good salary development for everyone. The background is the challenges that exist in care, which include an attention-grabbing report on part-time work that the union was behind, and another report on a difficult start to work for young people in care, illustrated.
– We have not had any unreasonable expectations. We want the conditions to be able to work full-time, we want sustainable schedules and 4 consecutive weeks of vacation in the summer. We want wages to be raised so that it becomes equal, that wages be justified and we also do not want to have to wait six months for payment of decided wage increases. But we have not received any of this, therefore we decline, says Sineva Ribeiro according to the press release.
– During the pandemic, we were called superheroes and went to work when we were off to save lives. Then we got applause, but today we are forced to choose between getting sick ourselves or going down to part-time work to make ends meet. In the end, it is also the patients who suffer. We want to save healthcare. If SKR and Sobona also want that, they have to start listening to the healthcare workers, says Sineva Ribeiro.
