Talks resume in Poland's healthcare row

Talks between the Polish government and striking doctors and nurses are set to resume on Wednesday, following a proposal by the health minister to raise salaries next year.

If the proposal is accepted, the tent city of protesting nurses that sprang up across the street from the prime minister's office in central Warsaw could disappear, but the growing pressure to increase public sector wages will not.

Nurses have been protesting for more than two weeks. Doctors have been on strike for seven weeks, dozens are on hunger strike and hundreds more refuse to work in the public system. About 300 of Poland's 800 hospitals are affected.

Miners at the money-losing state-owned Kompania Weglowa coal mining company want a 30 per cent rise. Teachers are also calling for higher pay.

Public sector workers are looking to the private sector, where salaries in May rose at an annual rate of 8.9 per cent.

Poland's central bank last week unexpectedly raised interest rates by a quarter point to 4.5 per cent, its second increase in three months, noting that wages were rising faster than labour productivity.

The finance ministry said this week that inflation for June is expected to be 2.7 per cent, the first time it will be above the central bank's 2.5 per cent target in two years.

"I want to be able to live normally in Poland for my very hard work," says Jolanta Zakielarz, a nurse from the eastern city of Przemysl. Her monthly salary, after 15 years of experience, is 1,000 zlotys ($360, €265, £180), and she wants it raised to 3,000 zlotys. "I can't live on what I earn."

The mood in the nurses' camp dispute turned ugly after four of them managed to occupy the office of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the Polish prime minister. Mr Kaczynski denounced them as politically motivated criminals who were trying to undermine his government.

The four nurses have since been persuaded to leave, but Mr Kaczynski is continuing to use harsh rhetoric against the strikers.

In his latest blast, the prime minister denounced "satans" who were behind the strike, while other ministers have warned that doctors could be forced to go back to work.

Verbal attacks like that have worked in previous battles between the populist government and judges, journalists, professors, foreign governments and intellectuals, but they are proving less effective against women dressed in nursing whites.

Poland has one of the lowest levels of healthcare spending in the European Union, with public spending on health at about 4 per cent of gross domestic product, about half the EU average. The government has promised to raise spending to 6 per cent of GDP, but now finds it does not have the money.

Mr Kaczynski's solution was to propose a referendum over whether to raise raise taxes on the wealthiest to pay for better health care.

Economists roundly condemned the idea of a referendum. The nurses are not in favour either.

"It's a ridiculous idea. It is just supposed to create a conflict between us and the rest of society," says Urszula Jablonska, a nurse who says she voted for the ruling Law and Justice party in 2005 but now regrets her choice.

Source:msnbc.msn.com,

Nurses' protest camp shakes Poland’s government

Health workers have set up shop outside their prime minister’s office in their fight for better pay and conditions, writes Joanna Puszwacka

Polish health workers are involved in a major battle against the right wing government. They are demanding pay rises.

Up to 2,000 health workers, mainly nurses, have been camped outside the prime minister’s chancellery in Warsaw, Poland’s capital, since Tuesday of last week. Four trade union negotiators are occupying one of the offices in the chancellery.

The tent city was set up following a 20,000 strong demonstration by all the health sector unions. There had been a similar demonstration last year.

This time around 80 nurses were determined that they would not just go home after it had finished.

They just stayed in front of the prime minister’s building and that night slept in the open air on the main road.

Early the next morning the police roughly forced them onto the pavement. This outraged other health workers who began coming back in force.

Since then delegations of miners, teachers, metal workers and transport workers have come to the camp to show solidarity.

The FZZ union federation, which includes the main nurses’ union, first threatened strike action if the police were used against the occupiers of the prime minister’s chancellery.

It is now saying that it may issue a solidarity strike call anyway to workers outside the health service.

Privatisation

The government strategy of ignoring the health workers because of their supposed weakness has blown up in its face.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the right wing populist prime minister, whose twin brother holds the presidency, heads a coalition government which includes the extreme right.

Poland has been heralded as a neoliberal success story following a crash programme of privatisation.

The economy grew by 7.4 percent in the first three months of this year with foreign investment reaching new highs last year.

Unemployment has been falling. This is not caused primarily by emigration. Productivity levels are increasing. This has not stopped the government attacking pension rights.

Recently an attempt to change the retirement package for rail workers was met with the threat of a strike. This forced Kaczynski to back off.

Tax cuts for the rich have led to an increase in the number of billionaires and a growing gap between rich and poor.

The government pleads that in order to keep within European Union budget limits it cannot pay the nurses.

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Elwira, a Polish nurse working in Britain, wrote to Socialist Worker, “How is it possible that no mention has been made in the British media about a massive industrial action in Poland of nurses and doctors?

“They are protesting against low pay and poor working conditions.

“They have been now joined by miners, who also support their action.

“The Polish government has not started any talks with the nurses.

“This reflects the current government attitude to internal Polish problems, and the working class.

“I feel for my colleagues back home.

“Some of them have still not been paid for their work last month.

“If they don’t turn up for work, however, they will be threatened with disciplinary action.”

Source:socialistworker.co.uk