In mid-March, dozens of hospitals across the country will close their doors to non-emergency care. In Drenthe, at least the Wilhelmina Hospital in Assen and Isala in Meppel are participating, trade union FNV Zorg & Welzijn reports. Whether action will be taken at the Treant hospitals in Emmen and Hoogeveen is not yet clear.
The hospitals run a so-called Sunday service on that day. The complete list of participating hospitals will be announced later this week. “Hospitals throughout the country are participating in the national strike,” says Corrie Kooijman of the FBZ employee organization. In addition to FBZ and FNV, trade unions CNV Zorg & Welzijn and NU’91 are participating in the strike.
Employers’ umbrella organization NVZ had until 12 noon today to avert the strike. They would have to respond to the demands of the trade unions, but NVZ has indicated that it does not want to comply with the demands of the trade unions.
Action committees have now been formed in more than fifty hospitals. The willingness to strike is historically high, according to the unions. The Collective Labor Agreement for Hospitals applies to more than 200,000 employees in hospitals and rehabilitation centres. The Netherlands has 65 hospitals and 14 rehabilitation centers, some of which have multiple locations. Drenthe has four hospitals and several rehabilitation centers.