International Courant
SEOUL – The Korean Well being and Medical Staff’ Union (KHMU) – a bunch of nurses, well being employees and caregivers – introduced on Wednesday that its members will maintain a two-day common strike beginning Thursday.
They’re calling on the Korean authorities to rent extra medical workers and enhance their working situations.
The strike is the union’s first in 19 years, after members walked out in 2004 calling for a five-day work week.
About 50,000 of KHMU’s whole of 85,000 members will participate within the two-day sit-in protest to sentence the federal government’s damaged guarantees to cut back the variety of sufferers per nurse, develop public well being companies and infrastructure, and enhance working situations of well being care employees, KHMU mentioned.
Nonetheless, important workers liable for duties instantly associated to sufferers’ lives, akin to emergency rooms, working rooms, intensive care items, supply rooms and neonatal rooms, have determined to not take part within the strike, the union added.
“The federal government didn’t present any help to resolve important points whereas delaying the schedule for bettering numerous techniques,” it mentioned, referring to a 2021 settlement between the union and the federal government, then led by the previous liberal-leaning president Moon Jae-in.
Of the 83 % of members who voted, 92 % supported a strike, the union mentioned, explaining the rationale for taking the category motion.
Nurses and well being employees from 29 personal college hospitals, 12 nationwide college hospitals, 12 public hospitals, 26 Korean Purple Cross hospitals and 26 native medical facilities throughout the nation will take part within the strike. The listing consists of about 20 high-level common hospitals akin to Kyunghee College Hospital, Korea College Anam Hospital, Korea College Guro Hospital, Ewha Womans College Mokdong Hospital and Hanyang College Seoul Hospital.
On Thursday and Friday, KHMU will be a part of forces with the Korean Confederation of Commerce Unions (KCTU), essentially the most militant of the nation’s two largest labor unions. It should additionally perform its personal strike from subsequent Monday. KCTU has been organizing a two-week nationwide strike since July 3.
On Thursday, KHMU members will maintain a mass rally in Gwanghwamun, within the heart of Seoul. On Friday they collect within the metropolises of Seoul, Busan, Gwangju and Sejong.
If the strike continues with out reaching an amicable settlement with the federal government, it’s prone to trigger important disruption to medical companies within the coming days. Disruptions have already occurred on the Nationwide Most cancers Heart and Pusan Nationwide College Hospital, with surgical procedures canceled and sufferers discharged.
Presently, particular strike plans have been made for simply two days, however KHMU warned of an indefinite strike if its calls for should not met.
“If our calls for should not met and the federal government doesn’t change its irresponsible perspective, we are going to go on an indefinite common strike. The variety of members collaborating within the strike might then enhance additional, “mentioned the union.
50,000 well being employees in South Korea will go on strike on Thursday
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