Thai Health Ministry To Make Most Jobs Permanent: Nurses Strike

[webfact]

Health ministry to make most jobs permanent

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- In a bid to calm a planned protest by 17,000 contract nurses who are demanding permanent jobs, the Public Health Ministry yesterday agreed in principle to enlist most of 30,188 contract positions in 21 fields of professions in the civil service over a three-year period.

However, Public Health Minister Pradit Sinthawanarong did not specify whether all the 17,000 nurses would be enlisted unconditionally before the year's end as they demanded, otherwise they would launch the three-day strike starting January 1.

No response from nurses

The leaders of the 17,000 nurses did not make a public statement in response to the ministry's decision nor the minister's statement.

In the three-year period starting next year, 22,641 positions in 21 professions would be employed as ministry officials, while 7,547 others would still be contract workers, Pradit said in yesterday's meeting.

It was attended by members of regulatory bodies representing nurses, doctors and medical technicians apart from ministry leadership and senior officials.

The decision has been forwarded to the Bureau of Budget and the Finance Ministry.

The first lot to be enlisted next year are for 10,494 positions, who had been hired as contract workers between 2006 and 2008, including 2,947 positions for doctors, dentists and pharmacists graduating from government universities and required to repay tutorial fees through mandatory services at government hospitals.

The enlistment of all 10,494 positions would be done by January 1 if the Cabinet endorsed the ministry's decision in a meeting on December 18.

Those to be selected in the first lot need to achieve good performance evaluation ratings along with any required certificates in their line of work. They will be entitled to higher welfare benefits or slightly lower to those granted to government officials.

There are 320,000 staffers with the Public Health Ministry working in 21 professions, 180,000 of whom are government officials and 140,000 others are contract workers.

Permanent secretary Narong Sahamethaphat vowed to treat them fairly.

-- The Nation 2012-12-01

[jaltsc]

Sounds like a pig in a poke to me. Promises are just that; Promises. Even in the best case scenario, only 7,500 nurses might be given permanent status.

What appears to stick out is the statement "Those to be selected in the first lot need to achieve good performance evaluation ratings along with any required certificates in their line of work. They will be entitled to higher welfare benefits or slightly lower to those granted to government officials." Isn't this the same criteria used for teachers who are notoriously unqualified and buy their way into their positions?

The nurses best course of action is to strike and get the permanent status and deserved benefits now.

[EarthAlien]

Sounds like a pig in a poke to me. Promises are just that; Promises. Even in the best case scenario, only 7,500 nurses might be given permanent status.

What appears to stick out is the statement "Those to be selected in the first lot need to achieve good performance evaluation ratings along with any required certificates in their line of work. They will be entitled to higher welfare benefits or slightly lower to those granted to government officials." Isn't this the same criteria used for teachers who are notoriously unqualified and buy their way into their positions?

The nurses best course of action is to strike and get the permanent status and deserved benefits now.

Yes, agreed!

The nurses need an irrevocable undertaking in writing that these promises will be enacted within a certain date otherwise they will strike,.. or as you said, strike first and make that a condition of further strikes being withheld.

They (the govt.) are probably relying upon the general sweet and gregarious nature of the nurses to accept the promises on "face" value and not to strike!

[bigbamboo]

The nurse's response is what the politician's promises are worth.

Nothing.

Edited December 1, 2012 by bigbamboo

[antpet]

What strikes me about the report is that there is negotiation and room for it.

The nurses should strike and force a settlement in order to gain full contracted employment.

The benefit will be to society in a country that is deeply under resourced. The wealthy Thais do not concern themselves with the health inplications for the poor. Hence the need for the nurses to hold out for a fully effective deal that protects and improves their terms of employment.

It's good to see actions such as these as politically, an organised and effective social movement is sadly lacking in Thailand, a country that needs change in almost every single area you can define.

If one group of workers can demonstrate effective and cohesive action then this can only cement the will of the people to manage their own destiny.

[Ricardo]

"In the three year period starting next year"

So well into the next government, if it ever happens, this is still just hot-air from the men at the ministry !

And they still won't get all the same welfare benefits "granted to government officials" ?

As ever, some piggies are more equal than others, it seems.

[jaltsc]

The verbal promises are not worth the paper they are not written on

[BKK03]

Sounds like a pig in a poke to me. Promises are just that; Promises. Even in the best case scenario, only 7,500 nurses might be given permanent status.

What appears to stick out is the statement "Those to be selected in the first lot need to achieve good performance evaluation ratings along with any required certificates in their line of work. They will be entitled to higher welfare benefits or slightly lower to those granted to government officials." Isn't this the same criteria used for teachers who are notoriously unqualified and buy their way into their positions?

The nurses best course of action is to strike and get the permanent status and deserved benefits now.

Why do Thai universities/schools of nursing continue to graduate students if jobs are not available. Graduates from

Thai universities are usually not qualified to work in professional medical positions outside Thailand. Unless it is Laos

or maybe Cambodia. I think this is a disservice to young people who are trying to do their very best to

have a professional career.

It appears that there is little integrity and caring in the community of rich Thais who make the rules. Their children are all successful and placed in positions without being qualified or trained/educated for. Personally I do not believe greed will prevail in the long term. There is an old saying in the West: “you meet the same people on the elevator going down as you did when the elevator was going up.” The next 3-5 years should be interesting.

[asiawatcher]

Unbelievable. These idiots offer to 'contract' more than double over the next few years, completely ignore the 17,000 nurses who simply want job security and don't respond (really? Why should they?) and then waffle on with verbal diarrhea about a whole bunch of irrelevant points, duly reported by an equally confused journalist.

Edited December 2, 2012 by asiawatcher