Are nursing unions strong enough to fight for better conditions for their workers? Does the government respect that trade unions are independent entities? Does the government take sides or remains neutral? Are conservative governments likelier to manipulate unions and the population so nursing unions lose credibility?
Just now I read that the Danish government forcibly stopped a strike called by a Danish nursing union in 2021. To me this looks like something any dictatorship would do. I’m a nurse and my union just got us a 30% pay increase progressively during the next 20 months. After this period expires, they will negotiate again.
I won’t disclose where I work and I’m simply comparing how good or bad I have it.
My next question is: has there been a nursing exodus to other countries / out of nursing after the government forcibly stopped the strike? have there been wildcat strikes after the government’ diktat?
Where I am we’re free to call in sick (so far). Everybody understands this is a demanding job and that nobody goes to work when the body aches.
My last question would be: are nurses in Denmark presented as people who should be happy to have the ‘honor’ of working helping people, meaning pay is not important? Where I live conservatives, private and Christian hospitals try to use this argument not to raise salaries. The smart nurses know what hospitals and nursing homes to avoid.
I know someone who’s a nurse. She only work as an on call nurse, which gives much better pay.
She can work 4 days a week for over 40.000 kr a month + vacation (but that one is required by law for all jobs in Denmark)
But nurses who has it as a full time job, doesn’t get paid much. But as an argument made by my friend sounds:
If we used the money not on giving raises, but started to hire more nurses, then the job would be much better in itself for everyone. She said, “what are more money worth if your life sucks ass 8 hours a day.”