Director of Hospital in Bielsko-Biala Hires Scabs and Tries to Repress Nurses

The strike of midwives and nurses in the south of Poland is continuing. The strike started at the beginning of the week in five hospitals in the South of Poland - in Zywiec, Brystra, Miedzybrodzie and two in Bielsko-Biala. The nurses are demanding raises that were promised to them in 2006 and 2007.

In the hospital in Bielsko-Biala, where 200 nurses are on strike (and 16 on hunger strike), the director of the hospital, Ryszard Batycki, has already started signing contracts with scabs. In addition to this, Batycki, who regards the strike as illegal, has informed the prosecutor's office of this.

Declaring strikes illegal is a common form of repression in Poland. The law is quite restrictive and there are many minor infractions which may be committed by striking workers which may serve as a pretext for firing them, pressing charges against them or seeking damages from them.

The bosses in 4 of the 5 striking hospitals claim the strikes are illegal.

The director of the hospital in Bielsko-Biala claimed that the nurses did not go through all the proper stages of negotiations with the hospital. But it is the hospital that has not fulfilled promises to raise salaries which were made in 2006 and 2007. On top of this, the National Health Fund has cut the budget for the hospital by 2 million zloty this year.

This is a constant problem in health care: although costs for everything - equipment, medicine, energy, etc. - are constantly increasing, the government, led by hardline neoliberal ideologues, is constantly decreasing funds for hospitals.

The nurses plan to continue their strike after negotiations brought no result. A protest demonstration is also planned.