General strike by paramedical workers to continue

The Histadrut labor federation and Eli Gabai, head of the health workers union in the General Labor Federation, said the reason for the strike is the “shortage of manpower."

Ambulance (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Ambulance
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
A strike by some 5,000 physiotherapists, dietitians, speech therapists, occupational therapists, dental hygienists, genetic counselors, art-and-crafts therapists and other paramedical workers in the public health system in hospitals and community health clinics around the country will continue, labor leaders said on Sunday, the day the strike began.
The Histadrut labor federation and Eli Gabai, head of the health workers union in the General Labor Federation, said the reason for the strike is the “shortage of manpower slots and a decline in standards for the employment of workers in the paramedical sector [by hiring contact workers], which led to the expansion of workload, abusive forms of employment and severe injury to workers and quality of service to the public. Health professionals are in an impossible situation today.”
The open-ended general strike will include paramedical workers employed by the Health Ministry, Clalit Health Services, Meuhedet Health Services, the Hadassah Medical Organization, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, mental health centers and other institutions.