Ver.di has organised a national campaign of action by workers in elder care calling for improved financing for the sector with higher pay for employees. The union argues that workers are facing much heavier workloads and they need improved pay and working conditions and financial support for training. Action around the country is making people aware of the pressures that care workers face, the regular overtime, lack of breaks and physically demanding nature of their work. The action is part of a longer term campaign to raise issues of patient care and the working conditions in the sector as well as the need to re-evaluate jobs in the sector.
Read more at > ver.di (DE)
National action by elder care workers
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National strike in elderly care on 30 January
Health and social care and public service federations from five confederations have made a joint call for a national strike and day of protests in the eldercare sector on 30 January. The unions are challenging claims by the health ministry that the problems in the sector are not related to inadequate funding but are simply a management problem. The action will cover homecare as well as residential workers and will be calling for increased staffing so that there is one worker per resident and the repeal of legislation on pricing reform. The unions want to see employment maintained in the sector
Another massive mobilisation in elder care
Ten trade union organisations, supported by users and their families, directors and doctors, organised a second day of national strike action and protests in the eldercare sector. Over 200000 people joined demonstrations around the country boosted by protests in support of pensioner rights. The unions in eldercare want increased funding, a commitment to a one-to-one staffing ratio and improved pay and career development. The action lead to a meeting with health minister Agnès Buzyn but with no concrete response from the government as yet.
Union stresses need for trained workers in elder care
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. Read more at > FOA (DK)