Polish Nurses Protest Law Allowing Contract Employment

March 23, 2011 Representatives of the Nationwide Union of Nurses and Midwives OZZPiP have been occupying the gallery of the Polish parliament building since Thursday in protest against a new law allowing the Polish hospitals to employ nurses under contracts. Yesterday 5 of the nurses went on hunger strike while hundreds of other were protesting in front of the parliament building on Wiejska Street in Warsaw. Negotiations held last Sunday between the Union and Minister of Health Ewa Kopacz failed. In the opinion of Minister Kopacz, a ban on flexible contracts would be unconstitutional, and that everyone should have freedom of choice as to their employment form. Dorota Gardias OZZPiP head argues that contract employment will result in a lower quality of nursing services and deprives the nurses of vacation rights as well as it is paid considerably less than permanent employment. The nurses want to negotiate the matter with the government. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the government was searching for "a solution that would be optimal for all nurses". Source: The Warsaw Voice