Some of the drivers, hospital attendants, and paramedics of the ambulance station in Petrozavodsk will stop going on calls in understaffed teams. They planned a work-to-rule because of low wages and lack of health workers at the stations. The emergency hospital administration responded with a "letter from colleagues condemning the rioters." On August 28, this information was confirmed to "7x7" by the Chairman of the primary organization of trade Union Deystvie (Action) of the emergency hospital in Karelia Olga Chayka.
The paramedics said that they will go on strike if the authorities do not fulfill the requirements of the Union members (increasing the number of teams, returning long-service bonus, proficiency of drivers and night work, raising salaries to the regional average of 41 thousand rubles) till September 15.
On August 26, the staff of the emergency hospital sent an appeal to the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, the head of Karelia Artur Parfenchikov, the Ministers of Health of Russia and the Republic of Karelia, and the chief doctor of the emergency hospital in Karelia Alexei Heifets.
As it is written in the appeal, medical assistants are currently paid 24 thousand rubles, nurses — 22 thousand rubles, and drivers — 18 thousand rubles, the Union drew the attention of the authorities that the Karelian workers should have "Northern allowances", but in fact their salary is the same or even lower than those of physicians from Central Russia.
Health workers decided to go on strike because doctors mustn’t work several full-times to earn more, while their work is so hard and demanding. Working overtime, according to the authors of the appeal, potentially leads to medical errors and constant fatigue.
In response to the appeal of the trade Union, the press service of the Ministry of Health of Karelia said in its release that the requirements of health workers were discussed with them in March and April 2019 and were partially met. This message included a quote from a letter from colleagues of Union members who allegedly said they did not support the participants of the work-to-rule because they were "destabilizing the work of medical institutions", "spreading panic", and "sabotaging".
— Now 30 paramedics [have joined the strike], applications are still coming. We are being pitted against each other, there are those who have become very aggressive against us. They simply do not understand anything and do not want to hear when they are explained. Management has worked some of them really well, — said Chayka to the correspondent of "7x7".
The requirement to equate the salary of medical personnel to the average in the region was among the "May Decrees" of Vladimir Putin in 2012. In April and June work-to-rules were held by the employees of the ambulance from Penza and Novgorod oblast. After the strikes began, the authorities agreed to make concessions and partially satisfied the demands of the union members.
