'Solidaritatea Sanitara' Health Federation slams lack of social dialogue

The government has no social dialogue whatsoever with the health unions, and the only response of the authorities to the multiple grievances of Romania's 'Solidaritatea Sanitara' Union Federation (FSSR) is "be happy there are no wage cuts," co-chairman of the organization's Board of Directors, Radu Vasile, declared on Monday for AGERPRES during the protest organized in front of the Parliament. The union staged two protests on Monday in front of the entrances of both Chambers of Parliament, as the lawmakers discuss today the adoption of the 2021 state budget bill. "We continue what we started last year and was left unfinalized. We brought 100 people at one gate and another 100 at the other, that's the maximum allowed, we would have come with 1,000, but this is not possible. (...) What is happening is not right: there's a new government, okay, we should have met, sat down to really look at each separate category, at each activity. We are not that hard to understand, but we learn from the media that one thing has been decided, then something else. (...) They don't talk with us, there is no social dialogue. Have you seen any meetings, any negotiation with the government? (...) We sent our messages in a perfectly civilized manner, we kept requesting meetings, to sit down at the same table, to analyze matters so that we can explain them to the people. We have no signal, no dialogue, they are just like 'be happy there are no wage cuts'," Radu Vasile said. The co-chair of the FSSR Board of Directors voiced his disappointment at the authorities' lack of initiative to stimulate support measures for health workers and criticized the statements of the Minister of Labor and Social Protection, according to whom bonuses in the health care sector amount to 85 percent, explaining that hospital employees collect bonuses ranging between 12 and 15 percent. The leader of the 'Solidaritatea Sanitara' also said that no hospital in Romania has all the positions staffed according to personnel requirements. The 'Solidaritatea Sanitara' Federation demands: the increase of the health care budget allocation, as well as compliance with the gained rights. Thus, according to trade unionists, the government's intention to reduce wage incomes by axing the meal allowance, reducing certain bonuses and scrapping holiday vouchers shows that the current government is completely indifferent to the efforts and sacrifices of the health workers. With health professionals banned from resigning and with strike-type protests forbidden, the cut of wage incomes turns this category into forced labor workers, they claim. Other federation demands are the adoption of all the necessary measures for the protection of the health and safety of health workers (protective equipment, safe circuits, material and human resources), so as to significantly curb the number of newly SARS-CoV-2 infected employees and most importantly, deaths from COVID-19. "Health workers must have their contribution period (retirement age) shortened in proportion to the activity carried out over the basic workload. A reduction must also be applied for particularly dangerous working conditions," argue the 'Solidaritatea Sanitara' Federation representatives. AGERPRES (RO - author: George Coman, editor: Oana Tilica; EN - author: Simona Klodnischi, editor: Simona Iacob)