Covid: Consulcesi, for exhausting medical shifts and denied holidays, + 30% requests for help

Rome, April 19 (beraking latest news Salute) – Since the pandemic broke out, grueling shifts and denied holidays have become the new “normal” for many health workers. This is how overtime became ordinary. This was reported by the legal network Consulcesi which for over a year has been submerged by an avalanche of requests for help from ‘exploited’ health professionals: 30% more since the beginning of Covid. “Our health workers continue to be ‘squeezed’ and, moreover, they do not always do it in safe conditions”, said Massimo Tortorella, president of Consulcesi in a statement. “With the risk also of sacrificing one’s physical and mental health. All this – he adds – without adequate recognition ”. Yet, if European laws and directives were followed, these health workers would be entitled to tens if not hundreds of thousands of euros.

That Italian doctors work too much is certainly not new. The Covid-19 emergency has only exacerbated the consequences. This is a ten-year problem – observes the note from Consulcesi, a group specialized in the legal and training field for health professionals – on which our country was even beaten by the European Union more than ten years ago. Directive 2003/88 / EC, which promotes the improvement of the safety and health of workers, establishes a maximum weekly working time of 48 hours – including overtime – and a daily rest period of 11 consecutive hours. While transposing this directive, from 2008 to 2015 Italy undermined its effects.

This is why – explain Consulcesi lawyers – for a long time doctors have been deprived of a guarantee recognized to all workers, not only in disregard of EU legislation, but also in total contrast with international scientific literature. This was the case until, at the request of the European Commission, on 25 November 2015, Italy in fact adapted.

For the period prior to this date – Consulcesi reports – it was possible to request reimbursement – over 80,000 euros for 6 years of work – both in the event that the extra hours worked have not been paid, but returned by the company to the scope of the result objective, both in the case in which they have instead been paid. Many actions were taken by Consulcesi’s lawyers.

Now history seems to repeat itself. But this time in a stronger way and involving a much higher number of health workers. For this reason, once again, Consulcesi has made available a free consultancy service for information on the possibility of taking legal action, by contacting 800.122.777 or directly through the website www.consulcesi.it.