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News > Chile

Chile: Health Workers Go on Indefinite Strike

  • The strike will continue

    The strike will continue "until the authorities understand that Health is one of the most important issues for the Chilean people," FENATS assured. | Photo: Facebook / FENATS

Published 23 November 2020
Opinion

Over 60.000 workers will participate in the indefinite strike. At the same time, other unions and social movements are expected to join the demonstrations "until the authorities understand that Health is one of the most important issues for the Chilean people," FENATS remarked. 

Chile's National Federation of Health Workers (FENATS) started on Monday an indefinite strike in response to failed negotiations with Sebastian Piñera's government over a series of demands, including the increment of funding for public health in the 2021 budget.

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The second-largest union in the country stressed in a statement that "the precarious situation of Public Health, aggravated during the Covid-19 health crisis; the lack of materials and sufficient resources to safeguard the life of personnel; mismanagement, and the imminent order to all workers to return to their jobs without the possibility of complying with minimum prevention protocols, such as distancing, already add up to the alarming figure of 30 thousand workers infected with Coronavirus, with numerous deaths to its credit."

During eight months, the FENATS has insisted on its demands and received an unfavorable response from the authorities, denying a COVID-19 bonus and the right to an average payment.

Over 60.000 workers will participate in the indefinite strike. At the same time, other unions and social movements are expected to join the demonstrations "until the authorities understand that Health is one of the most important issues for the Chilean people," FENATS remarked.

"FENATS Nacional declares war and goes on strike indefinitely." 

FENATS' president Patricia Valderas said that the union "regrets the authorities' unwillingness to seek agreements on issues as relevant as those we have raised." Valderas also asked the citizenship for comprehension as 80 percent of people rely on the public health system.

Nonetheless, "without concrete answers, we have no choice but to declare ourselves at war, until the working conditions of our workers are improved and the per capita budget for next year is increased," the FENATS president explained.

"The minister is a doctor and knows that what they offer is not enough, and even less, to face the number of Covid-19 patients, which will surely be from March," Valderas added.

According to reports from the Ministry of Health, authorities estimate that at least 360.000 health workers were infected at the frontline to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, and more than 27 died. Most infections have been due to the lack of protective equipment.

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