Strike threat by health workers

When prime minister Sophie Wilmès visited the Saint-Pierre hospital in Brussels earlier this month she was met by rows of health workers with their backs turned. This reflected the growing anger among health workers about the failure of the government to deal with the pressing needs of the sector in terms of funding, staffing and personal protective equipment. Health trade unions are also angry about the two decrees (see CB News 9) on assistants carrying out nursing duties and requisitioning staff. Unions have issued official strike declarations in response to the failure to have a proper

The VPOD/SSP public service trade union, with support from the SGB/USS trade union confederation, has attacked demands from the health insurance industry to cut hospital costs and by implication wage bills. The industry wants hospital costs across the country reduced to the lowest that currently apply in any hospital. The unions point out that with employment costs making up 70% of total costs this means an attack on pay and conditions. The unions have warned that such reductions, apart from being unfair to workers, would undermine service quality and lead to hospitals taking on less qualified

Unions representing workers in the private health sector - Fp-Cgil, Cisl-Fp and Uil-Fpl - have welcomed the initiative of the health ministry to convene a meeting with the employer organisations - Aris and Aiop - on 17 September. The unions say they are ready to start negotiations immediately and finally deliver a new collective agreement after 13 years for the 300000 workers in the sector. The regional authorities responsible for healthcare have indicated their support for the negotiations but the unions say it is up to Aris and Aiop to show their commitment. The unions are planning strike