Union action highlights serious staff shortages

Germany

On 24 June, services union ver.di coordinated a national action at health facilities across the country to underline the need for urgent action to tackle staff shortages. Thousands of health workers left their workplaces at lunchtime carrying numbered cards to represent each of the 162000 jobs that are needed in the sector of which 70000 in nursing alone. Staff shortages are impacting on all areas and all occupations making it difficult for workers to maintain services without working excessive hours, skipping breaks and suffering stress from overwork. Ver.di hopes that the action will help keep the pressure on the government to take action to deal with the problem and the union will also maintain its call for the introduction of legislation to guarantee staffing levels in the health service as also announced in the coalition agreement of the current federal government signed in 2013.
Read more at > ver.di (DE)

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