Health and Medical Workers' Union Sectoral Central Negotiation Reached... Provisional Agreement

The National Health and Medical Industry Labor Union announced on the 2nd that it has reached an agreement on this year's sectoral central collective bargaining for the health and medical industry.

On the same day, the Health and Medical Labor Union and 77 medical institution employers reached a tentative agreement on expanding and improving the operation of integrated nursing care services, workforce expansion, eradication of illegal medical practices, suspension of medical privatization and commercialization, and improvement of working conditions during the 7th round of negotiations held at the Union Life Hall in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.

Members of the National Health and Medical Industry Labor Union are holding a rally on the afternoon of July 14 on Sejong-daero, Gwanghwamun, Seoul, demanding the expansion of workforce and public healthcare, and the full resolution of integrated nursing care services.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

This agreement was reached three months after negotiations began on May 3rd. If the tentative agreement passes the union members' vote, a signing ceremony is planned for the 13th of next month.

Both parties agreed to strive to fully expand integrated nursing care service wards by 2026 through the tentative agreement. The workforce in integrated nursing care service wards will be operated as regular employees.

Staffing will be calculated and supplemented so that union members can freely use vacation and leave at their desired times, and the division of duties between job categories will be clarified. Measures to eradicate proxy surgeries and proxy prescriptions using doctors' IDs and passwords will be prepared and implemented. Furthermore, discrimination in wages, seniority, working conditions, and welfare benefits will be prohibited when performing the same tasks. In cases where there are attempts to outsource the operation of provincial medical centers and Red Cross hospitals, joint labor-management activities will be undertaken to prevent this, and an agreement was also reached on excluding additional labor costs arising from health and medical policy implementation from the total labor cost. Additionally, wage increases will be determined through negotiations by characteristics and on-site negotiations by medical institutions.