Nursing staff on sick leave in Switzerland - the Unia trade union fights for improvement

From Winterthur/Zurich, we received a report from Milena Stepper, previously with Care Revolution Freiburg and now with the Unia trade union in the Zurich-Schaffhausen region, on the efforts to fundamentally improve the precarious situation of care workers and ultimately all people in care relationships. Thank you very much!

The care sector in Switzerland is in a deep crisis. More than 300 carers are leaving the sector every month, and at the same time the lack of funding is also putting a strain on private households.

The neoliberal financing system means that municipalities and/or cantons as well as health insurance companies and also those in need of care themselves are involved in financing a long-term care place. Under the current logic, a large proportion of the costs remain uncovered. As a result of this gap, care has to be organised more and more efficiently, which unfortunately must ultimately be seen as the political will. The privatisation of the sector - care should be profitable and generate profits - is also partly responsible for the care crisis.

The problems have not only existed since coronavirus, but have merely been exacerbated by it. The aforementioned exit rate means that good care is no longer possible. Long-term care is chronically understaffed, tight staffing plans mean that nursing staff often have to step in spontaneously and, in an emergency, postpone their holidays. It is precisely this emergency situation that provides no incentive to train as a carer or to continue working in the sector. The difficult working conditions and challenges are therefore the cause of employees leaving the industry.

It is also important to take an intersectional view of the crisis. Women, migrants or people with tied residence status often work in the care sector, which increases exploitation and precariousness. In addition, the number of people over the age of 80 will increase by 88% by 2040. If so many carers continue to leave the sector, it will no longer be possible to guarantee care for the elderly and sick.

As a result, necessary care and support will shift into the private sphere and further into informal care work. For private households, this means that, on the one hand, an increase in the already precarious live-in labour force is to be expected and, on the other, the binary gender difference will be further cemented.

The success of the care initiative was initially seen as a small glimmer of hope. This was accepted on 28 November 2021 with a majority of over 60% of all Swiss citizens who took part in the vote. This means that the Swiss government will have to address the implementation of the demands and make changes. The new Article 117b of the Federal Constitution requires the Confederation and cantons to recognise care as an integral part of healthcare. This also results in the promotion of nursing professions. Access to care and high-quality care should be guaranteed for all people in Switzerland. In order to guarantee this, the Confederation and cantons must be able to ensure that sufficient qualified nursing staff are available. The initiative will be implemented in two stages. The first deals with vocational training, the second with the working conditions themselves.

Until the initiative is actually implemented, an alliance of trade unions and professional organisations, including the Unia trade union with its nursing staff, is jointly calling for 5 immediate measures:

• Wages/working hours: Significant wage increase for the same workload or reduction in working hours for the same wage.
• Bonuses: Massive increase in existing bonuses and time credits as well as introduction of bonuses for short-term rota changes.
• Holidays: At least 5 weeks for employees up to the age of 49, then 6 weeks from the age of 50 and 7 weeks from the age of 60.
• Recording of working hours: Actual recording and compensation of working hours, e.g. including changing time, travelling time from one assignment to the next in Spitex/outpatient care.
• Childcare: Subsidies for family-supplementary childcare.

Unfortunately, however, nothing has improved since the adoption of the care initiative. Poor working conditions, a massive shortage of skilled labour and inadequate funding are making care itself sick.

The Unia trade union therefore called on carers to take part in care actions in 10 cities on 22 November 2023. The aim was to send out a signal and shake up society that the overworking of individuals is no longer acceptable and that there must be immediate improvements in working conditions!

The link to the day of action:

Carers present the solution to the care crisis: "IbuProPflege® Akut"! (unia.ch)

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