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The negotiations for the contract already expired in 2021 which restart after the summer break and which could translate into increases of up to 190 euros per month in payroll and the fears for the new budget law which could not guarantee sufficient resources for the survival of the National health service squeezed between limited resources and staff shortages. A very hot autumn is being prepared for doctors and for this reason the white coat unions say they are “on a war footing” and “ready to mobilize” for the already forgotten health emergency after Covid.
At least 4 billion are needed in the maneuver, but they are at risk
“For the survival of the National Health Service, at least 4 billion additional are needed, of which 2.7 billion only for the renewal of the contract of medical and veterinary health managers for the three-year period 2022-2024″, warns Pierino di Silverio, secretary of Anaao Assomed , the most representative union of medical executives. But the 4 billion, also claimed by the regions and requested by the Minister of Health Orazio Schillaci from the MEF, may not all arrive given the narrow spaces available to the Executive for the maneuver. «We are very worried – explains Di Silverio – about the resources in the budget law: there is no money, not only for the contract, but in general for public health and hospitals. We will see if it will be a strike or a demonstration, but if there are no answers we will not sit idly by. If the solution is to block everything, we are ready to do it ».
The contract expired for two years and is still pending
Meanwhile, the 2019-2021 contract is still being discussed again, because the comparison over the following three-year period is still to be tabled: a first appointment is set for September 5, but the closure should still be postponed. From availability to specific indemnity up to continuous training, the objective of the unions is to improve the working conditions of over 130,000 doctors, health managers and veterinarians. On the track there is a total dowry of around 650 million which should translate into average net increases per month between 130 and 190 euros depending on seniority and professional position and with around 100 euros more indemnity for white coats who work in emergency rooms, not counting the arrears that are worth a few thousand euros. After the accelerated pre-holidays, the issues to be resolved are the same ones that led the acronyms not to accept the text proposed in July: «We are willing to do anything: from a strike to mass resignations if necessary. We have nothing left to lose, they have also taken away our professional dignity but we do not intend to give up our personal dignity. We are in a disastrous condition, not for us but for the system in which we work”.
The crux of unpaid doctors’ extra work
The main issue for closing the contract that has already expired for two years remains that of the extra working hours which are not recognized: «We give away – explains Di Silverio to Sanità24 – companies about 300 hours a year each, about one billion EUR. So much so that at the moment working hours are 34 plus 4 hours, plus what the healthcare company asks for indefinitely. Without there being the possibility of recovering ». «Secondly – adds the secretary of Anaao Assomed – we ask for a flexible contract, with more time and with professional recognition. Also stop the “rule” of 13-15 guards per month, which means being available to the company every other day. A practice that also contravenes the legislation on rest ». “The Aran – concludes Di Silverio – shows openness to our requests, it is the Regions that cause the impasse and for this we need a strong message from politics”.