A Thousand Nurses On Strike For Fourth Day In A Row

A Thousand Nurses On Strike For Fourth Day In A Row

For the fourth day in a row, a thousand nurses from Shebin El-Koum Educational Hospital in Menoufiyya carry on their strike requesting the 75% incentive promised to them by the Minister of Health in decision no. 322 on 2008 which included all workers in the health sector, in addition to the 40-60% bonus for extraordinary efforts and an increase in work shift allowances, especially the late night shifts after doctors” allowances had been raised.


One of the nurses on strike said, “For us, night shifts are equivalent to two Egyptian pounds per day, and most often the whole day isn”t even calculated.  On the other hand, doctors are paid 45 pounds for their shifts.”


Another nurse called for the just distribution of economic premium profits among workers “as administrators earn much more than we do.”


The nurses on strike also affirmed that workers in some of the vital hospital departments, such as those in intensive care, the babies” nursery, blood bank, emergencies, and kidney washing did not participate in the strike fearing over their patients” lives.


From his part, Shebin El-Koum Hospital Head Dr. Ahmed Abu El-Rus said that the reason the decision has not yet been executed on the nurses is because it has not yet been finalized on the part of the Ministry of Finance.


In a similar context, the Menoufiyya Health Division deputized around 40 nurses from the different hospitals in the governorate to work at Shebin El-Koum hospital until the strike was over.


From their part, the nurses on strike affirmed that they would not withdraw from the strike this time until their requests were fully met.