Government: "Will continue additional talks to prevent strike by Health and Medical Workers' Union"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions’ National Health and Medical Industry Union has ultimately announced a general strike next week. Despite persistent negotiations with the government, no agreement was reached. The government plans to make additional efforts to prevent the strike from occurring as much as possible.

On the 27th, Lee Chang-jun, Director of Health and Medical Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated at the regular briefing of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, "Both the government and the Health and Medical Union share the view that going on strike amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is undesirable, and the government plans to actively pursue various additional negotiations to prevent the strike from happening."

He added, "In preparation for the possibility of a strike, emergency medical response measures will be established at both central and local government levels," and "Considering the current COVID-19 pandemic situation, strike countermeasures will be prepared accordingly."

On the same day, Na Soon-ja, Chairperson of the Health and Medical Union, held a press conference at the union office in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, stating, "The general strike of the Health and Medical Union was approved with a voter turnout of 81.8% and a 89.8% approval rate," and "If the government does not present clear solutions to the demands for increased staffing and expansion of public healthcare, a full strike will commence as scheduled at 7 a.m. on September 2." In this vote, 45,892 out of 56,091 union members participated, with 41,191 voting in favor.

On the 17th of last month, 124 branches of the Health and Medical Union filed a dispute mediation request with the Labor Relations Commission, presenting ‘8 major demands’ including the prompt establishment of infectious disease specialized hospitals, expansion of public hospitals, and legislation on the patient-to-nurse ratio. The union and the Ministry of Health and Welfare engaged in marathon final negotiations lasting 11 hours the day before but ultimately failed to reach an agreement on key issues such as staffing expansion.

Lee explained the negotiation status, saying, "During the discussions, demands were made to more actively expand public infrastructure in preparation for future infectious disease crises, to increase medical personnel to address burnout as the COVID-19 pandemic has lasted over a year and seven months, and to reduce the burden on nursing staff caring for patients in general wards to lower turnover rates." He added, "While efforts have been actively made and some differences narrowed, sufficient agreement has not been reached regarding staffing and funding issues."

Regarding specific demands, Lee said, "Currently, the union requests the establishment of staffing standards that would reduce the number of patients one medical worker cares for, thereby alleviating the burden on medical personnel treating COVID-19 patients, along with corresponding financial compensation." He added, "We plan to actively support cost compensation through consultations with related ministries," but expressed reservations about the staffing standards. He explained, "Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, if staffing standards are implemented by reducing the number of patients per medical worker without sufficient personnel to cover all current patients, there could be problems in the COVID-19 medical response system." He further stated, "While staffing standards will be established, more discussions with the union are needed regarding implementation plans, taking into account the situation on the ground."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.