The Uruguayan Medical Union (SMU) declared itself in conflict over the offer made by the mutualists that the members of Casa de Galicia will distribute to their doctors: they want to hire 200 of the 700 workers in this area, and only during polyclinic hours. Zaida Arteta, president of the union, told The Observer that this measure take doctors as “discard”and ensured that They asked to speak with legislators to ask them “if they wanted this massacre.”
For Arteta, the agreement sought by the companies that absorbed the partners of Casa de Galicia, whose closure was decreed by the Judiciary on December 23, goes against what Law No. 20,022which determined a solution for the members and officials of the mutual insurance company, and it was voted in Parliament on February 8 with the consensus of all the parties.
“It is not the spirit of the legislator”criticized Arteta, who explained that, despite the fact that the law does not state how many doctors must be transferred for each official, it was understood in the law that the intention was to absorb as many workers as possible.
The union president declared that the offer of the mutualists also goes against the intention that the MSP had presented to themwhich according to Arteta maintains that “most workers should be redeployed.” He recalled that he spoke with the portfolio minister, Daniel Salinas, about the intention of the SMU to maintain 100% of the jobs, and that the chief told them that this number would not be possible, “but they were going to get closer”, detailed.
So far, two Salary Council meetings have been held to define the situation of medical workers, and the MSP hopes that the agreement will be signed at the end of March. Arteta remarked that they told the businessmen that they wanted the “work force” of Casa de Galicia to be transferredand they didn’t think the offer would end up being “so distant.”
The proposal
Universal, Cudam, Círculo Católico, Evangelical Hospital and Crami These are the five companies that will take over the nearly 40,000 members of Casa de Galicia affiliated with Fonasa. By the agreement ratified by the medical and non-medical unions and the Ministry of Public Health, these mutualists must also absorb an equitable number of officials.
The SMU wanted that for every 1,000 absorbed partners, each company hired 21 officialsbut with the agreement proposed by the companies they would only take five, and with fewer hours of work. According to Arteta, in the case of Círculo Católico, a provider that will take 15 thousand membersfor the distribution of hours and jobs, I would go to that mutual one worker for every 1,000 members.
The trade unionist criticized that the charges proposed by the companies for these doctors are “minimal”and they do not correlate with the full-time jobs held by some medical employees at Casa de Galicia, what are the priority of the union when carrying out the transfers.
According to SMU calculations, with this agreement 90% of the working hours that the doctors had in the closed provider “will not be there anymore”pointed out its president.
However, Arteta clarified that the tender for the infrastructure of Casa de Galiciawhich must be acquired by a company for medical purposes, will lead to “surely there will be more jobs there”but indicated that They do not know when that purchase will take place or which mutual company will acquire it.
“The luxury of closing beds”
To the reference of the SMU It seems “strange” to him that an increase in users without an increase in workers “does not affect” the operation of mutual insurance companies, when in some there are even “three months of waiting” to schedule time with a specialist.
Nor does he understand the decision of only absorb officials to work in the polyclinic, which means that “not a single intensivist doctor” is hired, he detailed. On the one hand, this would lead to sending personnel who “worked in the pandemic” for several months to unemployment insurance, Arteta continued, and also to close ICU beds.
“Are we going to give ourselves the luxury of closing intensive care beds when we had to run to open more?”asked the union member, adding that these beds are still necessary despite the less pressing coronavirus situation.
possible unemployment
In the SMU they cannot confirm what measures they would take in response to the proposal of the mutualists involved in the conflict. Arteta indicated that the union must meet with the Federation of Doctors of the Interior (FEMI), the union of surgical anesthetics and the unions of doctors and non-doctors of Casa de Galicia to discuss the situation, but there is nothing concrete.
In the letter published on March 19, the union announced that it will analyze union measures daily, and they do not rule out carrying out a national strike.
