Israeli nurses went on strike Monday, after talks between the nurses’ union and the Israeli Finance Ministry failed to reach an agreement on union demands for increased pay amid the coronavirus crisis.
Talks between the two sides collapsed overnight, after the Finance Ministry and nurses’ union held marathon negotiations Sunday in a bid to reach a deal and avert a strike.
The union has long pressed the Finance Ministry to increase the pay for nurses and change the terms of their service – changes which the nurses’ union claims are even more important in light of the increased workload since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
The strike, organizers said, will be ongoing, with no set date for its termination. It will span all healthcare facilities across the country, including hospitals and clinics, which will operate with weekend-level staffing only, as is typically done each week on the Sabbath.
Coronavirus wards, however, will still operate with the normal level of staffing.
Union chief Ilana Cohen blamed the Finance Ministry for the strike, claiming that the failure to alter the terms of nurses’ service endangers patients.
“Enough excuses and enough talk – they need to give an immediate solution today and stop allowing [a situation] which enables the abandonment of patients and nurses. We can’t let the healthcare system fall into decline.”
“The Finance Ministry had a whole year to handle to end the crisis with the nurses. If they placed human life at the top of their priority list, acted responsibly and implemented the hundreds of changes needed for nurses in hospitals and in community care we’d be more prepared to handle the pandemic, including being more prepared for the epidemiological testing.”