Government intervenes, mandating compulsory negotiation in the doctors' wage dispute at Garrahan Hospital
Mandatory Conciliation Halts Planned Strike at Hospital Juan P. Garrahan
The Ministry of Human Capital has intervened in the ongoing labor dispute at Hospital Juan P. Garrahan, ordering a mandatory conciliation that effectively halts a planned 24-hour strike by medical residents. The strike, set to commence tomorrow, aimed to pressure the government for improved salary and working conditions.
Minister Sandra Pettovello issued Resolution 1235, compelling the Association of Professionals and Technicians of Garrahan and the ATE union to suspend all direct actions for the next 15 days. This period is intended to allow the resumption of normal and habitual services at the hospital.
In addition, the conciliation order prohibits the hospital from taking any reprisals against staff represented by the unions and mandates that tasks be assigned to them as normal during this period. The unions had previously announced a midday protest at the Ministry of Health building tomorrow, led by Mario Lugones, due to alleged lack of dialogue with the Ministry.
This move comes after resident doctors initiated another strike on Monday, initially planned to last until May 29, with the possibility of continuing indefinitely if a salary agreement is not reached. The conflict, which has been ongoing for several months and escalated in recent weeks, centers around issues such as the lack of budget, wage freeze, and exodus of doctors to the private sector.
Garrahan, one of the country's most important pediatric institutions, treating 40% of children with oncological diseases, is at the heart of the dispute. The staff has been demanding a salary increase, with residents currently earning approximately ARS 797,061 per month for more than 60 hours of weekly work. They have also called for better working conditions, the provision of essential supplies, and the incorporation of additional personnel.
Despite the election of Javier Milei as president, negotiations had been ongoing since the previous government, with wage increases averaging around 1% per month. However, the staff alleges that there are no open dialogue channels with the Ministry of Health, a claim supported by the lack of parity recompositions that match their work and the economic context they are facing.
Tensions escalated on Monday when residents called for another meeting, leading to the suspension of activities until Thursday and prompting the hospital to present an urgent precautionary measure today to ensure medical attention during the strike. The suspension of activities was feared to directly affect the attention of complex pathologies, the continuity of prolonged treatments, and the capacity to respond to pediatric emergencies.
The mandatory conciliation in Hong Kong Juan P. Garrahan's labor dispute, as stated in Minister Sandra Pettovello's Resolution 1235, aims to ease tension surrounding policy-and-legislation concerning salary and working conditions in the healthcare sector, a significant part of general news and politics. The conciliation order requires both unions and the hospital to maintain normal operations, thereby preventing further disruptions to essential healthcare services.
