- I am sad, angry and disappointed. It seems that our government does not understand all the implications. Nurses will not forget. Some of them have already voted with their feet, and it may be difficult to stop this trend, even if a wage solution that satisfies the nurses is found sooner or later, says Chairperson of Tehy Millariikka Rytkönen.
Rytkönen demands to know why the legislators took such an extreme measure. The forced labour law sought by the employers was now passed, severely infringing on the fundamental rights of nurses, virtually because of a four-day work stoppage in a single district of a single city.
Another reason why Rytkönen is puzzled by this is that there would have been other options. On the steps of the Parliament House last Friday, representatives of the Greens, the Left Alliance, the Finns Party and the Social Democratic Party told the nurses who came to protest that the funding to improve nurses’ wages is available, as long as an agreement is reached.
- The funding is there, so why cannot an agreement be reached? The ball keeps bouncing back into KT’s court. The party structure of the highest decision-making body of Local Government and County Employers KT, its delegation, is such that these very same parties could decide on a solution to secure a pay rise for nurses. Why on earth has this not been done, when it could have put the matter to bed a long time ago? The shortage of nurses must be resolved regardless, says Rytkönen.
She is also concerned that this act and the treatment of nurses will put our public social and health services at risk long into the future.
The world is now watching what is taking place in Finland. These occupations are international, and the shortage of nurses is a global problem,” she points out.
Enquiries:
Chairperson of Tehy Millariikka Rytkönen, contacts through the special advisor, tel. +358 400 540 005