Labor dispute: healthcare workers turn to the public conciliator

TALLINN - Collective agreement negotiations in the healthcare sector have ended without results, and healthcare workers' unions are turning to the public conciliator to resolve the resulting labor dispute.

The reason for the failure of the negotiations is the decision by Minister of Social Affairs Karmen Joller and the Health Insurance Fund to use the sum intended for raising the minimum wages of healthcare workers in 2027 to balance the Health Insurance Fund's budget.

"A balanced budget doesn't treat patients, healthcare workers do. Nurses are not satisfied with their pay. The average salary is often cited, but it is earned through many hours of overtime and by working nights, weekends, and holidays. Due to the shortage of nurses, many also hold multiple jobs. If the state cancels the pay raise, it is telling these people that they are not valued or needed. A salary increase is an essential condition to ensure that there will be nurses in hospitals to help patients tomorrow," said Kätlin Lillemaa, president of the Estonian Nurses Union.

The basic salary for care workers is over a third lower than the national average, and their pay only approaches the average thanks to night work and overtime hours. As the population ages, the demand for caregivers is not expected to decrease in the coming years.

"In the hospital, care workers are the ones who are with the patient the most and are the first to notice if something is wrong. They certainly deserve higher pay for their physically and mentally demanding work. Each of us wants our loved ones to be well cared for. This cannot be done by a tired person working for two employers just to make ends meet," said Ulvi Tasane, president of the Estonian Health Care Professionals' Union.

Estonia is already facing a shortage of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare specialists. If wages do not correspond to the workload and responsibility, there is a risk that the number of workers will decrease even further.

According to a recent survey by paramedic Kevin Lumi, the national healthcare system could lose 740 healthcare workers if the 2027 pay raise is canceled. That is how many respondents plan to leave for private clinics, go abroad, or change their profession altogether. This means longer waiting lists, and accessing care will become even more difficult. The minister's promise that the accessibility of treatment will remain the same does not hold true, as there is no medical care without staff.

Minister of Social Affairs and chairwoman of the Health Insurance Fund's supervisory board, Karmen Joller, is responsible for the functioning and financing of our healthcare system, which is why her presence at the collective agreement negotiations is crucial. Unfortunately, the minister did not see fit to sit down at the same table with healthcare workers and employers.

The appeal is signed by the Estonian Nurses Union, the Estonian Health Care Professionals' Union, the Estonian Medical Association, the Estonian Union of Clinical Psychologists, the Estonian Association of Clinical Speech Therapists, and the Estonian Association of Physiotherapists.