Healthcare employees affiliated with the Sanitas Federation will go on a warning strike on Monday, July 20, between 9:00 and 11:00, and if their demands are not met, a general strike will begin on July 28.
According to Sanitas President Iulian Pope, the federation has notified 523 healthcare units about the strike. Ambulance services cannot participate because the law does not allow it.
During the warning strike, emergencies and a minimum of one-third of regular activity will be ensured, as required by law, but hospitalizations, consultations, treatments, and scheduled interventions may be postponed.
The announcement was made on Thursday by the leadership of the Sanitas Federation during a press conference.
Patients without emergencies are asked to postpone hospital visits
Union leaders say the protest is not directed against patients but against government policies and the preparation of the new salary law.
“It's not a classic strike against employers, but against government policies. The new salary law is just the last straw. The healthcare system has been under siege for several years, we have frozen positions, and we have been on the verge of a strike for a long time,” said Sanitas President Iulian Pope.
He specified that between 9:00 and 11:00, the activity will be interrupted by participating employees, but they will remain at work, and emergencies will continue to be treated.
“From doctors to nurses, caregivers, (...) everyone is physically and mentally exhausted. Lately, my healthcare colleagues have been banned, their food allowance has been cut off, holiday vouchers have been restricted, a significant number of bonuses have been reduced, and most importantly, positions have been frozen,” Pope added.
Sanitas: We are missing approximately 30,000 employees
Union representatives say that one of the biggest problems in the system is the lack of staff.
Roxana Dumitrescu, President of Sanitas Olt, stated that hospitals requested around 25,000 new positions, but the Ministry of Health reduced the request to about 7,600 positions and sent it for approval to the Ministry of Finance. However, these hirings have not yet been approved.
“It's absolutely insufficient. But it's a breath of fresh air. At least let's see those 7,600 workers,” said Roxana Dumitrescu.
Overall, the staff shortage is estimated at around 30,000 employees.
Sanitas leaders provided examples of departments where a few nurses have to care for dozens of patients or where one nurse serves two departments at the same time.
Almost 50,000 employees have signed up for the strike
Iulian Pope announced that by Wednesday evening, almost 50,000 employees had signed up for the strike. “We are approaching 50,000. More precisely, we had 48,700 signatures,” said the Sanitas leader.
He accused the government of not engaging in real dialogue with the unions before drafting the new salary law and urged parliamentarians not to vote on the normative act in its current form.
“We did not want to get here. We had two months to discuss. No one asked us what the problems are and what solutions we propose,” Pope stated.
What Sanitas is asking for
The Federation is requesting, among other things:
- reinstatement of the salary rights provided in the collective labor agreement;
- cancellation of the reduction of certain bonuses and additional leaves;
- resumption of negotiations regarding the new salary law;
- maintenance of shift bonuses and the 100% bonus for weekend and holiday work;
- unblocking hirings and filling vacant positions in the healthcare system.