Filenews 12 July 2024 - by Marilena Panayi
Public hospitals, health centers and mental health services are closed by the nearly 2000 hourly employees of the State Health Services Organization.
On July 23, they go on a 24-hour strike, even warning of an escalation of measures.
The reason for today's decision of the workers is the fact that the SHSO did not take a position on the document that the unions sent last Monday proposing specific actions that, in their opinion, would solve the serious understaffing problem observed in the public health sector.
It is recalled that the trade unions had denounced the SHSO both publicly and in Parliament for covering permanent needs with seasonal employees or purchasing services. They demanded the hiring of permanent staff and accused the Organization of purchasing services with contracts that increase the operating costs of the SHSO.
The trade unions SEK and PEO claim that they have exhausted every room for "dialogue, responsibility and patience so that any labour disputes can be resolved without disturbing labour peace in the sensitive health sector."
As a last attempt to reach an understanding with the SHSO, they say, "the Organization convened a meeting on July 4 during which concrete actions were agreed to resolve the problems."
In this context, the trade unions sent last Monday a comprehensive memorandum of positions requesting a new meeting for agreement and signing of a minutes binding on both sides.
"Unfortunately, the SHSO leadership did not even bother to answer us and took the already difficult situation to the extreme."
"We call on the President of the Republic, the Ministers of Health and Labour to intervene immediately and decisively and clarify their position in relation to all our demands, but also to assume their responsibilities after having appointed the existing board of directors of the Cyprus Health Organization.
The SHSO is a public law organization, belongs to the state and the services it offers should not be sold off at the expense of the taxpayer," the statement added.
Hourly employees demand that:
- Vacant permanent positions are filled without delay and as specified in the relevant employment regulation (Job Filling Plan).
- The permanent needs of jobs should be covered by hiring permanent staff, whether this concerns building extensions, new services or even extension of working hours.
- For the permanent needs of jobs for which seasonal staff have been recruited, the procedure provided for in the employment regulations (Job Filling Plan) for their filling with permanent staff must begin immediately.
- The recruitment of seasonal staff should take place only where and where there is a seasonal/emergency need after consultation and agreement with the trade unions.
- For the work covered by the professions of hourly salary, the SHSO will carry them out with hourly paid staff and not with the purchase of services. (It is clear that the services market burdens the SHSO with additional costs).
Concluding their announcement, the two unions call for "universal participation of all hourly paid staff in the dynamic strike measures aimed at ensuring healthy labour relations, permanent and stable jobs and the termination of all forms of work that degrade dignity and lead to the deregulation of labour relations and the reduction of labour rights."
