‘Denying health workers their right to leave is against the Constitution’

* Photo: SES

Click to read the article in Turkish

The Ministry of Health has once again banned healthcare workers in Turkey from taking a leave of absence, retiring and resigning amid a recent surge in the number of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases.

In response, the Health and Social Service Laborers Union (SES) held a press conference at its Central Office today (April 16).

Addressing the reporters, SES Co-Chair Selma Atabey raised concerns that Turkey's number of daily cases has hit 62 thousand, which has increased health workers' workload more than ever before. Referring to the COVID-19 data shared by the Health Ministry, Atabey said:

"Our number of daily cases has hit 62 thousand. The number of people who lost their lives due to COVID-19 has increased to 297 a day. The number of new cases insistently indicated in the turquoise table despite all criticisms has increased to 2 thousand 845. The total number of cases has topped 4 million and death toll has increased to 35 thousand 31 people."

Within this context, Atabey noted that "the measures that were not taken and the existing inequalities have contributed to the spread of COVID-19 and increased the fatality of the disease." She further underlined that "disadvantaged classes have got sick and died more, but the decision-makers and the capital did not even care about this situation."

'391 health laborers have died'

Sharing the data compiled by the union, SES Co-Chair Atabey said that 391 healthcare laborers have lost their lives and over 180 thousand healthcare workers have been infected with the virus so far.

Noting that "institutions like the International Labor Organization (ILO) and 129 countries recognize COVID-19 as an occupational disease," Atabey said, "Even though this situation is defined as an occupational disease or occupational accident in our legal regulations, it is prevented from being reported in our country due to its economic burden".

'Discrimination is a serious crime'

Touching upon the circular of the Health Ministry banning healthcare workers from taking a leave of absence, retiring or resigning, Atabey said:

"With a circular of the Health Ministry in November 2020, it was said that the requests for withdrawing from office (resigning) would not be allowed under any circumstances and this ban is still in force.

"While it is obvious that a ban shall not be imposed on resignation and retirement without declaring a state of emergency, depriving healthcare laborers of this right is against the Constitution.

"Similarly, in this 2nd circular, it is said that the departure of the personnel on temporary assignment (ex officio assignment) between provinces will be ensured immediately and they will be enabled to go to the provinces where they are assigned. As we see in Batman and İzmir, what this means in practice is banishment. Banishment is a crime and this cannot be accepted.

"One-month health leave that shall be granted to the personnel working with radioactive rays has been left to the discretion of institutions' executives. While the women laborers in the public sector and with a child under the age of 10 are given administrative leave, the other women laborers are deprived of this right, which is a grave discrimination."

Requests

Concluding her remarks, SES Co-Chair Atabey also listed the union's requests. These requests were briefly as follows:

The immediate appointment of thousands of healthcare workers awaiting their appointment as permanent staff and with safe conditions, the reinstatement of healthcare workers previously discharged from public service by Statutory Decrees, the annulment of the law stipulation security investigation and archive research and employing the personnel who were not allowed to work for failing to pass them, the inclusion of labor and professional organizations into decision-making processes and recognition of COVID-19 as an occupational accident and occupational disease.

(RT/SD)