Several trade unions organized a national strike on 29 October to protest against the Government's underfunding of the healthcare and social services sectors. This action comes as the Government announces plans to cut € 40 billion in spending, including significant reductions to healthcare funding. Unions argue that these austerity measures will deepen the crisis in an already strained healthcare system, where staff shortages and limited resources have left hospitals struggling to provide adequate care. With further cuts looming, unions warn that patients will face longer delays, and healthcare workers will be pushed beyond their limits. To address this, the unions are demanding a substantial increase in healthcare funding, calling for the ONDAM (National Objective for Health Insurance Spending) to be raised by at least 6% to 10%.
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For more information, please contact Paul de Beer or Oana Ciuca, De Burcht (Scientific Bureau for the Dutch Trade Union Movement) p.t.debeer@uva.nl or the Head of communications at the ETUI, Mehmet Koksal mkoksal@etui.org. For previous full issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit https://www.etui.org/Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter or consult the archive with all articles in our database at www.cbnarchive.eu.
You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org.