Health
UK’s largest care home operator shifts cash to tax havens: new report
A new report published by CICTAR in conjunction with Panorama has revealed the details of how the UK’s largest care home operator has been funnelling profits offshore through the Caymen Islands while reporting artificial losses.
EPSU demands action from EU Health Ministers to improve working conditions and safe staffing for care and health workers
On the occasion of the Council of Ministers for Health on Tuesday, 7 December 2021, EPSU demands that Ministers stand up for the right to health and care, remembering that the resilience of health and care systems means investment and funding.
Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Hospitals and Healthcare Sector debate review of Framework of Actions on Recruitment and Retention
On 30 November 2021 the plenary meeting of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Hospitals and Healthcare Sector took place in the hybrid form.
Project Report and Country Fact Sheets available : Strengthening Sectoral Social Dialogue in the hospital sector in the East, South and Central Europe
The Project Report and Country Fact Sheets are available here from the successful completion of the project “Strengthening Sectoral Social Dialogue in the hospital sector in the East, South and
Challenges in the long-term care sector must be addressed in the EU Care strategy
EPSU representatives participated at the conference "Employment challenges and opportunities in the social care sector: the case of long-term care" organized by Eurodiaconia in cooperation with Social Services Europe.
Health union organises strike action to get negotiations
The FSSHK health union took strike action on 25 November as part of a long-running campaign to try to get the ministry of health and the government around the negotiating table. The union wants to ensure that health workers are properly rewarded for their work, particularly during the pandemic, and is calling for talks over the 2022 budget and funding to cover improvements in pay and conditions in the sector. The FSSHK has been trying for several months to get a response and organised protest action to put pressure on the government and ministry but had to step up to strike action when the
Nothing in budget for health and public services workers
Following the large demonstration in October in support of a pay rise for public service workers, unions are angry and disappointed that the government has failed to respond. Marián Magdoška, president of the KOZ trade union confederation said that unions were presented with the budget for 2022 a day before a tripartite meeting and realised that, despite promises from last year, it didn’t include any provisions to cover even a pay rise to compensate for inflation. The health union is also angry that in negotiations at the end of October the government was effectively blackmailing unions by
Health and social care unions launch campaign for more funding
The GPA and vida trade unions that organise in private health and social care have launched a new campaign, “Words are not enough” with the support of their confederation, the ÖGB. The unions are calling for increased funding for the sectors to improve pay and conditions, increase staffing by at least 20000, reduce workloads and provide a further COVID bonus and additional time off. The unions say that applause and praise for health and social care staff is not enough and action is needed to increase the funding that covers private health and social care.
European Social Partners remind European co-legislators about their statement on inclusion of Hazardous Medicinal Products in the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive (CMD)
In the context of the ongoing trialogue on the fourth revision of the CMD (2004/37/EC), HOSPEEM and EPSU would like to highlight the need to include hazardous medicinal products as a new entry in CMD Appendix I.
New European Parliament report confirms EPSUs findings about the weaknesses in long-term care
This week, the European Parliament published a report on the formal and informal long-term care workforce in the EU. Much of the information in the report confirms findings from an EPSU report published for the Global Day of Action for Care Workers.
Confederation organises protest to support public service pay claim
The KOZ trade union confederation organised a national demonstration in Bratislava on 27 October in support of the 13% pay claim by public service trade unions. The government has not offered any pay rise at all for 2022 and the unions are looking to ensure that workers are compensated for inflation, as energy and other prices soar, and for recent years when pay in the public sector has lagged behind increases in the minimum wage. KOZ also used the demonstration to draw attention to the impact of prices rises across the economy and to call for increases in pensions and other social benefits.