35 nurses on Karolinskas barnakut threatens to resign

New Karolinskas barnakutmottagning in Solna will be the sickest children in Stockholm every day of the year, around the clock. The reception has a high load. It is also the region's only barnakutmottagning for trauma and disasters. But as well as in several other activities, boils it is now among the nurses, then the new arbetstidsavtalet as the Swedish association of health professionals in the past has signed with the Stockholm county council, and applies from 1 april, means a lower income for the same work.

Malin Vallbom is barnspecialistsjuksköterska on barnakuten. She describes how the employees for a long time tried to influence the transition to the new arbetstidsavtalet, and then in January, they have put forward various proposals to the management. But all have been refused.

– For many of us who work on the barnakuten means this agreement, less money, between 1,000 to 4,000 kronor less a month. We do not want to say us up. We have been trying to resolve this, but without having received a hearing.

35 nurses in barnakuten who signed an open letter that the employees are now addressed to the hospital management and to finansregionrådet Irene Svenonius (M). In the letter, write the nurses, who represent over half of the nurses on the barnakuten, among other things:

”We as every day people's life in our hands, we who work weekends, nights, and julaftnar, we already receive less dividend than we deserve will now get even less. And we are expected to toe the line and continue as nothing happened. But we will not do. We are now sending this open letter to you to show that we will not respond to this with silence. Our expertise is needed for the sick children, our future.”

– We have the largest flow of patients in the whole of Stockholm, and we are the only trauma - and katastrofmottagningen for children. Skills must cost. We love our job, but it is degrading that we are now expected to accept to earn less, " says Malin Vallbom.

the Stockholm county council signed with the Swedish association of health professionals in 2017, and which is now being phased in, of the Swedish association of health professionals has been described as a contract that would get more nurses to stay. Gunilla George, Vårdförbundets chairman of the department of Stockholm, has earlier explained that the agreement is designed so that the nurses should be able to get more rest and recovery. They should also be able to take out the time accounts in the leave. According to the Swedish association of health professionals will large groups to see the gains in the agreement.

– In our discussions with the relevant hospitals, we have appealed to the employer to be an attractive employer, and to compensate for the loss of income for individuals, Gunilla George previously said to DN.

she and her colleagues see the benefits, but she also stresses that in order to be able to take advantage of the benefits that the reduction of working time, it is required that the employees work a certain number of nights and helgpass.

" We are already working the shift will receive less money, and can not take advantage of the benefits. Nights and weekends are also the time we need for recovery, and then we have the opportunity to meet our families.

in a transition phase offered the nurses an increase of 3,000 kronor in two months and 1500 sek up to a maximum of september 2020.

" It has been said that it is to compensate for the fact that our annual salary gets worse. We see it most as a way to keep us over the summer.

In several activities at the Karolinska and Danderyd hospital means the new agreement, on the contrary, wage cuts, and the nurses at the intensivakuten in neonatal care have already protested and resigned. In addition, several narkossjuksköterskor at the Astrid Lindgren children's hospital at Karolinska resigned after they demanded increases in wages that corresponds to their experience, but that management has been unable to meet.

If they don't get ear end can be layoffs, even in the barnakuten, fear Malin Vallbom and her colleagues. To fill with agency staff can not compensate for their specific area of expertise.

– Bemanningssjuksköterskorna are talented, but specialist knowledge takes several years to build up. If only a few says up, it will be charged to all other nurses.

The nurses, who now says up will quit their jobs just in time for summer. DN has sought Irene Svenonius for an interview about how bemanningskrisen to be solved. She greets via his press secretary that she commented on the nursing profession and its requirements already in the last week when she said that it was the hospitals responsibility to implement the new arbetstidsavtalet.

She comments now written the open letter:

" I understand the nurses frustrations, they do incredibly important jobs within the health care system. The whole purpose from the Swedish association of health professionals and the Region of Stockholm with the new agreement is that it shall be more profitable and provide better conditions for our nurses who work unusual hours in dygnetruntverksamheten. The agreement aims at sustainable working conditions and allows greater freedom for the nurses, how they take out the compensation for inconvenient work; salaries, leave or pension. The majority of the affected nurses will get better conditions. It is my request to each director and each of the hospitals for individual calls and find local solutions for the few employees where the agreement involves deterioration, writes Irene Svenonius, who also stresses that regions need to become better employers.