"We can no longer endure." Why are medical workers' strikes continue

May decrees of President Putin to increase salaries to the average and younger medical personnel were not executed in 50 of 85 regions of Russia, the Accounts Chamber of Russia reported on June 3 after checking the execution of the budget for 2018 in the field of healthcare. Doctors themselves complain about forced work for one and a half or two rates and additional loads due to lack of personnel. Last week, employees of the Penza Regional Motor Medical Station announced the Italian strike . This is the third similar case over the past three months.

“We declare that we can no longer endure a humiliatingly low level of our wages - about 16-17 thousand rubles” - this began an open appeal to the local authorities who announced the “Italian” strike of employees of the regional ambulance station in Penza. At 8 a.m. on Monday, May 27, they notified the chief doctor of the station that they would not go to the calls as part of incomplete brigades. They demanded to increase the number of resuscitation brigades, return the allowances for salary for experience and night hours, as well as raise the salaries themselves to the average in the region, as promised in the "May decrees". Problems began after the so -called optimization - the ambulance city station became regional:

Previously, this has never happened so that one person served in UAZ, passing to 800 kilometers in 12 hours!

- We have changed the system of work at our ambulance station, the wage system has changed. In January, the intensity began to increase when they were canceled the surcharges for night shifts, for the length of service. For this, health workers were just going to work for an ambulance. Previously, this has never happened so that one person served in UAZ, passing to 800 kilometers in 12 hours! Often, one paramedic left without written consent, although there should be two paramedics. And they paid him as alone! It always outraged people, but they suffered. To earn more or less worthy money in order to somehow live, people are forced to work at 1.5–2 rates. This is not normal. The degree reached a boil, ”the head of the Penza Organization of the Office Trade Union“ Action ”, nurse, ANBUSTOSISK Pavel Kuznetsov , told Radio Freedom.

The regional branch of the Office Trade Union in Penza for several months. For four activists, its creation turned into disciplinary sanctions from the authorities and work on one bet, recalls Pavel Kuznetsov. Formally, everything was according to the law. Now acting strictly according to the law was the turn of the union members. On the first day of the strike, 135 health workers participated in it.

Disciplinary sanctions were removed from the union activists

- the paramedic came to work and said: "If I am alone, then I will not work." He was found a second health worker, found some options. On the first day, they attracted nurses from other hospitals in the city - they closed holes. Already on the first day of our strike, it turned out that patients received help in a larger volume, in the right one, ”he says.

The number of participants in the strike began to grow. On June 10, ambulance drivers should have joined her: when reaching the line, they planned to refuse to work on cars with technical malfunctions. As a result, on the third day of the strike, the station management went to the dialogue. According to the results of the negotiations of activists with the head of the Ministry of Health of the region and the head physician of the ambulance station, which lasted more than five hours, it was decided to create a commission to resolve disputed issues, to pay 100 percent of salaries to paramedics leaving alone. Disciplinary penalties were removed from the union activists.

We can continue at any moment if something goes wrong

In an interview with Radio, Freedom Pavel Kuznetsov is very careful in assessing the protest week, believes that the strike is not over, but suspended until the final fulfillment of the requirements. But the intermediate successes of the trade union cell are satisfied:

- The administration and the Ministry of Health went towards, went to conciliatory measures. Now we are working. We have a sign of distinction among ourselves, we tie or keep in sight, so that it is visible, an ordinary medical bandage. People did not stop, people did not calm down. Therefore, we can continue at any moment if something goes wrong. This is a sign of our solidarity that we are for each other.

This action - a sign of solidarity - was also supported in other medical facilities of the region.

"Italian" strikes of ambulance employees previously held in the city of Okulovka, Novgorod region and Mozhaisk near Moscow. The claims are similar: the lack of comprehension of brigades, processing, low salaries.

According to Andrei Konoval , the co -chair of the inter -regional trade union of health workers, the action of the massive nature of the "Italian" strikes is still not talking. But against the backdrop of an increase in discontent, the situation may change:

In the second half of this year, we plan to hold the All -Russian protest campaign

- I think that the number of various kinds of collective actions, protest promotions will in the near future increase, unless the federal center unfolds the situation in the field of healthcare, public health policy, issues related to healthcare financing, and attitude to the organization of wage systems. Our union "action" considers it necessary to form general Federal requirements for various problems. In the second half of this year, we plan to conduct the all -Russian protest campaign with nomination of general requirements in the interests of ambulance service employees: these are processing, these are low salaries, these are problems related to the lack of security of medical workers, the lack of special protection from attacks, from insults by citizens during the performance of official duties, ”he says.

The problem of the safety of health workers, according to Andrei Konoval, is extremely serious, especially for the local service and ambulance:

There are resources in the budget of Russia in order to fulfill the "May decrees" of Vladimir Putin

- Employees run the risk of breaking through not only insulting, but also on direct violence. Such cases are very frequent. At the same time, there is no insurance, the law on criminal liability for the attack on doctors in the performance of official duties has not yet been adopted, although the relevant bills were submitted several years ago to the State Duma. By the way, liability insurance, professional medical responsibility is also necessary. Increasingly, we see the situation with the presentation of material claims by relatives of patients for medical errors, ”said Andrei Konoval.

According to the director of the Institute of Strategic Analysis of the FBK company, economist Igor Nikolaev , there are resources in the Russian budget in order to fulfill the May decrees of Vladimir Putin. Some of them were indeed aimed at increasing the salaries of state employees. But most effective - only during the period of agitation before the presidential election:

- We remember the growth of salaries, especially in the spring of 2018, when the presidential election took place. The problem is that it was also ensured by the fact that they reduced the workers, and the rest had to do all the work. But there were economic opportunities. That period passed, the presidential elections passed, the elections were successful, and the new salary tasks were not heard. Here the situation was hanging. Given inflation, it has become worse. Could it be done? Can. But in such a matter, it is not a one -time implementation, but so that the achieved bar is further supported. This cannot be done.

In the conditions of stagnation and in the conditions of the fact that the money is distributed, I think that there will be no radical fracture of the situation

The situation will further depend on what will happen to the economy. There will be no such miracles that we had in 2009, when the economy fell, and the population’s incomes were even grown, and we were very proud of it. Now the situation is such that real income is actually reduced for the sixth year in a row. And against such a background, also the fact that our economy (judging by the results of the first quarter is minus 0.5 percent of GDP in annual terms) is in stagnation. This means that a short -term improvement is possible, but all money should go to national projects. In the conditions of stagnation and in the context of the fact that the money is distributed, I think that there will be no root fracture of the situation. This is such stagnation not only in the economy, but also in salaries, ”says Igor Nikolaev.

Against the backdrop of protests in Penza about the readiness to start the "Italian" strike , medical workers in the Oryol region said . The reorganization of the local Pleshcheyevsky Central District Hospital, which discussed the Oryol district, with joining the urban ambulance station led to regular processing, departures of undeveloped brigades, low salaries. Under the collective appeal to the chief doctor of the station, 152 health workers signed.