The FOA public services union has said that volunteers cannot plug the growing skills gap in the elder care sector. Responding to the minister for social welfare’s call for more volunteers, the union argues that proper elder care requires skilled workers and the combination of recruitment shortages and the growing number of elderly means that an additional 70,000 workers will be needed in the sector by 2019.
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Union stresses need for trained workers in elder care
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Extra funds for training are welcomed but won't solve problems in elder care
Municipal union Kommunal has welcomed a commitment from the government to spend an extra billion kronor on training and personal development for nurses and other staff in elder care. However, the union points out that this fails to address the more fundamental problem of staff shortages in the sector and these can be traced to low pay and difficult working conditions. Kommunal says that pay in the sector is well below that in the industrial sector for jobs requiring similar levels of training and qualification. Furthermore, the sector relies too much on part-time work (60% of all jobs) with
Care training law needs improvement
Services union ver.di has welcomed some aspects of a new law on training in the care sector but argues that it doesn't go far enough. Above all the union believes that staff shortages and pressure of work across different care professions means that it is very difficult to ensure adequate time and resources are devoted to practical training. It is also concerned that plans to bring care training together across different professions such as general health, paediatric and eldercare are not the best solution and specific training is needed in these areas. [Read more at > ver.di (DE)->http://www
National action by elder care workers
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