Israel Nurses’ Union declares labor dispute

The Histadrut press service indicates that the reason was the constantly growing workload, physical and emotional burnout of staff, as well as the refusal of the state and employers to improve working conditions.

The list of reasons for the labor conflict includes: a constant increase in the workload on nurses in hospitals, the outpatient network and the public health system; significant deterioration in working conditions; physical, psychological and professional burnout, as well as low ratio of health workers to patients with insufficient funding.

The nurses’ union also points to the refusal of the state and employers to comply with the demands of workers’ representatives to improve working conditions, including addressing the lack of infrastructure, beds and qualified personnel. At the same time, the state and employers are introducing restrictions that make it difficult to hire new employees.

In addition to the above, the union reports damage to the nursing profession through moves such as replacing the sterile operating room nurse with a non-trained technician.

Another reason for the labor conflict is the state’s intention to unilaterally privatize the school health service, which could affect the working conditions and rights of nurses.

According to Israeli law, 14 days after the official declaration of a labor conflict, the nurses’ union can go on strike.