You heard it in No Te Duermas
Juan Roa, a representative of self-convened workers at the Pedro Equiza Maternal and Child Hospital in González Catán, revealed that there are also days when the emergency room remains closed due to a lack of professionals.
By Soledad Martínez
martinezgsoledad@gmail.com
The situation in the maternal and child hospitals of La Matanza is becoming increasingly critical. Juan Roa, a representative of the self-convened workers at the Pedro Equiza Maternal and Child Hospital, denounced that the lack of union delegates for four years prevents the employees’ claims from having formal representation.
“We are asking for elections, but the union excuses itself by saying that the Ministry of Labor does not grant them, when the responsibility is theirs,” he said.
The main objective of the self-convened workers’ organization is to make visible the lack of supplies in municipal hospitals and wards, in addition to demanding salary improvements. Roa warned that, in health centers such as the Pedro Equiza Maternal and Child Hospital and the Teresa Germani Maternal and Child Hospital in Gregorio de Laferrere, “there are days when we do not have antipyretics to
lower the fever of the children on call.”
The lack of supplies is compounded by the shortage of staff. According to the leader, there are days when the hospital does not have pediatricians on call, forcing the closure of this key service. “Last Sunday the Equiza emergency room was closed,” he denounced.
The situation is aggravated by the constant resignation of doctors and nurses, who upon receiving their salaries decide to leave their posts without prior notice. “When they see what they earn, they stop coming. They do not want to know anything else,” explained Roa.
Low salaries in the municipal health sector are a determining factor in this crisis. A nurse with a university degree and a 48-hour work week receives a basic salary of $240,000, while a doctor on call 24 hours a week receives only $108,000. With additional payments, salaries can reach $600,000, but they are still insufficient for daily living. Roa, with 35 years of experience in the health system, earns $700,000. “I have colleagues who do not earn more than $350,000,” he lamented.
Another of the problems reported is job insecurity. According to Roa, many municipal employees are replaced by self-employed workers, which negatively impacts job stability and future retirements. “I know retired colleagues who do not make it to the 5th of the month because they have to buy medicine and pay rent. It is not enough for them,” he said.
Workers without representation
Discontent with union representation is also evident. Roa criticized the municipal unions for their lack of commitment to workers and said they are more focused on selling property than defending labor rights. “Our union is more concerned with real estate than with us,” he said.
He also revealed that both unions were invited to an open meeting on February 21, but chose not to participate. That same day, the general secretary, Daniel Troncoso, gave an interview in which he justified the sale of union properties instead of joining the protest.
The negotiations with the municipal authorities have also yielded no results. Roa recalled that at the time they met with Alejandro Collia, Secretary of Health of La Matanza, who promised to intercede to avoid new demonstrations.
“What bothered us the most were the flags we hung in the hospitals and that we went out into the streets,” he said. However, those negotiations did not prosper. “The Executive did not even answer Dr. Collia’s phone anymore,” he said.
Regarding the collective bargaining, Roa assured that the salary increase negotiated by the union will be between 15 and 20 percent, without the participation of the self-convened workers or the dissident union. “The Executive gives a number and the union complies. Then they come out with the sign ‘after arduous negotiations, we received this’,” he said ironically.
Meanwhile, the crisis in the hospitals of La Matanza continues to deepen, affecting both workers and patients who depend on the public health system.
Caption: Juan Roa, a worker at the Equiza Hospital, gave details of the delicate situation that the Matanzas health system is going through.
Te Puede Interesar:
https://www.instagram.com/diarioncomatanza
https://facebook.com/diarionco
