Thu, Nov 23rd 2023
Nurses handed out pills in nine Swiss cities on Wednesday to draw attention to the nursing shortage. They are calling for five immediate measures to tackle the staff shortage in their profession.
In Basel, Bern, Chur, Delsberg, Neuchâtel, Olten, St. Gallen, Winterthur and Zurich, nurses presented their “remedies” for the staff shortage and for high-quality nursing care with flash mobs, speeches and information stands.
In Delsberg, for example, the union held a campaign on the station square under the slogan “Care is sick: we have the cure” and handed out boxes of the drug “IbuProSoins” to passers-by, a remedy that is intended to “fight against the care crisis and for high-quality care”.
According to the trade union Unia, five measures must be taken immediately. Firstly, there needs to be a significant pay rise for the same level of employment or a reduction in working hours for the same salary. At the same time, existing bonuses and time credits must be massively increased and compensation for short-term changes to the duty roster must be introduced.
Unia is also demanding at least five weeks’ vacation up to the age of 49, six weeks from the age of 50 and seven weeks from the age of 60. The union is also calling for working hours and allowances for supplementary childcare to be recorded.
According to the union, the healthcare system is in crisis. More than 15,000 nursing positions are unfilled and 300 nurses are leaving the profession every month. The situation is worsening despite the nursing initiative adopted in 2021. The nursing staff are calling on the Federal Council and Parliament to take the popular mandate seriously and act immediately.
According to Unia, the shortage of staff is particularly acute in long-term care due to demographic trends. A dignified old age is no longer guaranteed. Carers cannot reconcile this with their conscience.
The Federal Council has proposed initial measures to address the concerns of carers. The consultation process will end on Thursday. The proposals met with broad approval.
Among other things, the federal government will pay out CHF 470 million over eight years from 2024 for the training of nursing staff. The cantons will have to contribute the same amount. In doing so, the Federal Council wants to take account of the increasing demand in the care sector and is also implementing an important part of the popular initiative on care, which was approved by the people in November 2021.
A second part, which is controversial in parliament, is planned. The aim is to improve the working conditions of nursing staff in order to reduce the number of people leaving the profession prematurely. A corresponding draft bill is to be presented in spring 2024.
©Keystone/SDA
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