The Israeli Nurses Union declared a comprehensive labor dispute last week that will apply to approximately 60,000 nurses across the country. The move encompasses all nursing frameworks in the healthcare system, including workers in hospitals, clinics, institutes, family health centers (Tipat Halav) and nursing schools. According to the announcement, the decision was made following ever–increasing workloads, physical and mental burnout among teams, and what is described as the state and employers shunning the improvement of their employment conditions.
Employee representatives detailed a series of causes that led to the declaration of the dispute. At the center is a steady increase in the workload imposed on nurses in hospital wards, the community and public health, without an appropriate response. According to the union, there is a low caregiver–to–patient ratio without proper resource allocation, which leads to physical, mental and professional burnout and brings about a significant blow to working conditions that endangers the quality of care.
It was further claimed that the state and employers are shunning the demands of employee representatives and evading the correction and improvement of poor working conditions. These include, among other things, a shortage of infrastructure, hospital beds and professional personnel. The union emphasizes that the state and employers are leading restrictions and cutbacks that prevent the ability to recruit new workers into the system.
Beyond general workload issues, the union points to a specific blow to the nursing profession, which includes replacing the role of the "scrub nurse" in operating rooms with an unprofessional technical worker. Furthermore, the background to the dispute includes an intention to unilaterally privatize the student health service, a move that they say carries implications for the conditions and rights of nurses.
Shaul Skif, chairman of the Israeli Nurses Union, said: "Instead of strengthening those on the front lines of care, the state and employers continue to ignore the distress and growing burnout. Precisely at a time when the healthcare system is dealing with an unprecedented challenge of treating and rehabilitating thousands of physically and mentally wounded due to the war, nurses continue to carry heavy burdens on their shoulders, alongside a severe shortage of manpower and infrastructure. Instead of strengthening those on the front lines of care, the state and employers continue to ignore the distress and growing burnout. We will not hesitate to use all the tools at our disposal in order to ensure not only the rights of nurses, but also the ability of the healthcare system to provide the public with professional, safe and proper care, today and in the future."
The Health Ministry said: "The Health Ministry appreciates the work of the nurses and is constantly working to advance nurses, their status, their professionalism, and to reduce the workloads imposed on them. In recent years, the ministry has developed new roles, strengthened compensation for nurses, promoted the reduction of staffing gaps and added many positions. The latest wage agreement for the nursing profession was signed in November 2023 and is valid until the end of 2027. This agreement was made after orderly negotiations, as is customary with wage agreements in the economy, with the Nurses Union, the Director of Wages at the Finance Ministry, and the Health Ministry."
The Health Ministry further added: "In recent years, more than 2,500 new positions have been added, and the Health Ministry continues to work to strengthen the system, improve working conditions and prevent burnout. In recent months, several talks were held with the Nurses Union, and additional talks will be held in the near future. The Health Ministry calls on the Nurses Union to continue the dialogue that has begun in order to continue advancing the nursing profession and prevent unnecessary harm to the patient public."