France, Alternative Libertaire AL #248 - Hospital Uzes
Against savings sick (fr, it, pt) [machine translation]
For six months, the hospital staff on Careiron Farmhouse in Uzes, in the Gard, was
mobilized to the call of the South Inter - CGT - FO - USP (Union Syndicale of Psychiatry)
against the setting up a savings plan that the director of the institution has been
pushing. ---- The hospital Careiron the Mas, which employs 600 employee-es, specializes in
psychiatry and a deficit of EUR 750 000 which was organized for several years by the
Regional Health Agency (ARS) through experimental cuts ( modulation of the annual
operating Staffing). ---- PART ONE CREATED ANY DEFICIT ... ---- The new director
immediately wanted to impose its solutions all found: removed 11 days of compensatory
rest, delete comfortable spending for patients (ascending Sunday, water bottles, service
pooling project with the local hospital (kitchens , administration, gardens, etc.). All
this to lead to dozens of job cuts. Right in his boots, the director who refused to
negotiate, sought to divide the staff counting on the period of professional elections
(which saw South remain the majority union) to cleave the unions, which did not market. He
also tried with varying success to cleave and detach a part of the medical staff of the
rest of employee-es with promises of funding for some "new projects" through degreasing.
The determination and unity of the staff and their trade unions has undermined the
director's intentions. This is by direct action, democratically decided and strong staff
is heard.
RESPONSE OF EMPLOYEE-ES: UNITY, DEMOCRACY, INVENTIVENESS
October 8, 2014 held a strike decided in General Assembly (GA). Strongly followed, it led
to the invasion, loud and determined local administration. Between 200 to 300 salariée- s
were present despite the limitation of the right to strike in the hospital by assignments.
This has opened a breach in the wall of the contempt that the director opposed us. With
the representative of the LRA, he had to face the wrath of the staff. He had to retreat
immediately the savings at the expense of patients and enact in writing that he was
suspending his saving plan pending negotiations, after a meeting of the Inter with the LRA.
Staff also decided AG zeal of a strike (cessation of acts entered on the computer back to
paper patient record and stopping data transmissions, maximum limitation overruns hours
performed by staff in the part of the service, ...). To complete its work, the staff
decided a fundraiser for a collective approach with legal counsel to all staff. It was
also decided to get in connection with the convergence of hospitals struggle to launch a
petition of support towards the people and to send an address to the departmental unions
of unions to call support at future actions.
The meeting with the ARS and the manager did not come (those playing dead), the director
behind the scenes maneuvering to advance his plan, the staff took action before the Nîmes
branch of the ARS and eventually obtain, after cutting the road and making their voices
heard with guts, a delegation is received.
WELCOME COMMITTEE
It was obtained that the LRA advises the Director to withdraw its draft agenda of the
Supervisory Board (formerly Board of Directors) and open negotiations. The director of the
supervisory board, local elected to the general council of the Gard, promised under
pressure from the staff to act for the removal of this point of the supervisory board he
chairs. Without relying on the promises of each other, the staff decided in a new AG an
extension of the work to rule and strong action on the day of the Supervisory Board on 17
December 2014.
The staff had organized that day a welcoming committee for the members of the supervisory
board. The director obstinately want nothing to negotiate, staff invaded the room and held
this little world for a discussion of several hours. Authoritarian Director stubbornness
greatly stretched discussion and staff eventually loudly demanding his resignation. As a
result, new written promise to negotiation, bargaining commitment to openness in the
presence of LRA experts on working time.
Beginning in 2015 is cynically that the LRA has confessed that she could finally unlock a
budget of EUR 400 000 if a savings plan so-called "shared" was negotiated by the staff and
management, a real challenge when we know that it is the LRA who orchestrated the hospital
deficit!
The staff has suspended part of its work to rule, and after a few episodes of
establishment Technical Committee (ETC) in early 2015, where the director was initially
provocative proposals, negotiations will open for three months with representatives of the
Inter. The Inter drew up the tracks of "against savings plan" that is particular to return
to the hospital of improperly diverted to the county hospital budgets.
EXEMPLARY FIGHT
Even if victory is yet to come, it is step by step, by the unit, the direct action of
employee-es and democracy in the struggle, the employee-es resisted. This is a strong
example that shows the personal of the hospital Mas Careiron to employee-es of the sector
and the department. Collective ownership of the fight was a highlight and the gradual
realization that to loosen the grip of fiscal austerity, it is necessary to coordinate to
fight together by forging solidarity links. An initiative of the convergence of hospitals
in fight should take place soon, in addition to any inter-union mobilisations which it
intends to participate in an attempt to thwart the project Marisol Touraine health law
also provides for three billion economy on hospitals .
Berneri (AL Gard)
You can follow the struggle of the CH personal Careiron Mas on the blog:
sudsanteuzes.over-blog.fr
http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?Hopital-d-Uzes-Contre-des
