Kommunal, the municipal workers' union, has published a report highlighting the staffing challenges facing the eldercare sector. According to a survey by the union, 27% of workers in the sector say they want to leave over the next three years. Kommunal's report comes up with a number of proposals to make working in eldercare more attractive including ensuring proper staffing levels, creating more opportunities for career development, recognising the knowledge and experience of staff, establishing specialised eldercare educational provision, reviewing the number of employees per manager and ensuring they have adequate resources.
Union takes initiative to tackle staffing pressures in eldercare
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Union takes initiatives on staffing
(November 2016) Service union ver.di has taken two initiatives to tackle staff shortages in hospitals and eldercare. As the first step in a national campaign, the union has called on all 21 hospitals in the Saarland region, whether public, private or non-profit, to negotiate agreements to increase staff, regulate working time and reduce workloads.Meanwhile, ver.di also launched a postcard campaign to highlight the vital work done by employees in eldercare institutions who are similarly facing increasing pressure of work and a major shortage of staff.
Union calls for action on eldercare staffing
The FOA public services union is calling on the government and municipalities to take urgent action to tackle staffing shortages in eldercare. A recent survey found that three out of four local authorities didn't have enough eldercare staff and the situation is set to deteriorate as many workers retire. The sector needs around 13000 new recruits every year but the level is currently half that. The union says that employers use a lot of part-time work to save money and while many employees in the sector actually want to work full time. There is also a question of higher pay for young workers.
Union warns of eldercare staffing crisis
The FOA trade union has called for urgent action to address training and recruitment in eldercare. It quotes a new report revealing a sharp decline in the numbers of people being trained to work in the sector. It was already forecast that there would be a staffing shortage of around 40000 by 2028 but the figures on training - a decline of 36% in the number of young people on training courses - suggest an even greater shortage. The government has agreed to a request by FOA to convene a summit of politicians, employers and unions to debate how to tackle the problem.