Haitian health union threatens strike in public hospitals
Port-au-Prince, Sep 6
Haiti's National Federation of Health Workers (FENATRAS) has threatened this Friday to call a strike in public hospitals to force health authorities to fulfill their commitments. According to FENATRAS General Coordinator, Levy Milot, the stoppage will begin on September 16, if the Ministry of Health does not respect the memorandum of understanding signed in 2017 with the union, which includes a pay adjustment, social security and debit cards.
'We have taken several steps and the authorities have made several promises to us that they have never kept,' Milot told the Juno7 digital platform, underscoring the injustice of health employees receiving low pay, given the steadily rising cost of living.
The scheduled strike would be another blow to the health system, which in recent years has been the target of repeated protests criticizing its malfunctioning and working conditions.
Last January, residents of the State University Hospital in this capital denounced the serious shortage of supplies and medicines at this facility. In May 2018, the administrative and support staff of this hospital began a strike to demand that authorities sign the letters of appointment and the payment of six months worth of overdue salaries. That same month, the Mirebalais University Hospital, in the center of the country, was paralyzed for several days given employees' demand for a salary increase of up to 51 percent.
Source: Prensa Latina