Hospital employees will stop work for 24 hours on March 16. A total of twelve hospitals in our province are participating in the campaign. During the strike, work is done as if it were a Sunday, which means that only emergency care continues.
The hospital staff feel that way the FNV abandoned by the employers’ umbrella organization, the Dutch Association of Hospitals (NVZ). If it is up to the NVZ, employees will lose purchasing power considerably over the next two years, nothing will be done to reduce the workload and they will have to be even more flexible when scheduling.
“We notice that the anger among employees is enormous. Confidence in the employer in particular is getting a big blow. The employees feel left out in the cold. The only thing that is asked is to maintain purchasing power and reduce the workload. So that the groceries can be paid for and the wonderful work that is being done is sustained,” says Elise Merlijn, director of FNV Zorg & Welzijn
The unions are demanding, among other things, a wage increase of ten percent for one year and an additional 100 euros. The unions also want employees who travel by public transport to be reimbursed for the full travel costs and that the mileage allowance will be increased. “We want to prevent the exodus of personnel from the sector. One of the most important ways to counter this is to ensure that people have control over their working hours and schedules. So that they get enough rest in addition to their work”, says Joost Veldt, director CNV Care & Welfare.
March 16
Sunday services start at 08:00 with a joint kick-off in the hospital. There are various activities during the day that differ per hospital. There are also various speeches by trade union officials and hospital employees.
The following hospitals are participating in the campaign: Ter Gooi MC, OLVG West and East in Amsterdam, the Red Cross Hospital in Beverwijk, the Zaans Medical Center in Zaandam, the Northwest Hospital Group in Alkmaar, the Northwest Hospital Group in Den Helder, the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek in Amsterdam, the BovenIJ in Amsterdam, the Spaarne Gasthuis in Hoofddorp, the Spaarne Gasthuis, South location in Haarlem and the Spaarne Gasthuis, North location in Haarlem.