Earlier this year, 63 ambulance workers were sacked by the Emergency Situations Coordination and Urgent Assistance Centre of Georgia as a response to their involvement in the HSMCTU health workers' pay campaign.
Continuing actions from last year, members of the HSCMTU health workers’ union organised a demonstration on 17 January to raise concerns about low pay and changes to working conditions. The workers then took their protest inside the emergency services head office with several remaining in the building overnight to highlight the strength of feeling about their situation. Changes to rules on shift work mean that workers can’t work the extra hours they need to make ends meet and the ending of a contract to disinfect vehicles has left staff to do this work, so extra duties without additional pay
After several weeks of conflict, rallies and the threat of strike action, the HSMCTU health union, with the support of the GTUC confederation, secured an agreement from the Ministry of Health that it would not introduce a 12-hour work schedule for paramedics. The Ministry also agreed to remunerate employees’ overtime work and to have further meetings with the union to discuss how to increase salaries. The dispute had arisen following the Ministry’s decision to remove a wage supplement that had been introduced during the Covid pandemic and its plan to introduce a 12-hour work schedule
Fighting continues after the Russian army invaded Ukraine. The Ukrainian unions thank all for the messages of solidarity and support. It is now important to turn that in concrete assistance. The financial support via the ETUC/ITUC solidarity fund remains important.
The FSSHK health workers’ union suspended strike action planned for 20 December to allow for talks with the health ministry and prime minister. The union has already taken action in its campaign to ensure the 2022 budget includes funding for higher pay for health workers. The union is aiming for a 50% pay increase. However, it has proved difficult to bring the government to the negotiating table and the union says that it has only suspended the action and it will set another date in January if talks with the government don’t deliver. The prime minister has attacked the leadership of both the
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
The FSSHK health workers’ trade union staged a protest outside the prime minister’s office on 8 November to highlight the situation facing workers in the sector. The union wants to ensure that the 2022 budget recognises the efforts and sacrifices made by health workers and the challenges they face in terms of pay and the rising cost of living.
