Nurses’ Strike Ends After One Day

After just one day, a strike by nurses is over, after the union representing nurses came to an agreement that will see security significantly increased in hospitals and HMO (Kupat Cholim) offices. In addition, more permanent nurse positions will be provided, to help alleviate the significant shortage of nurses.

Hospital violence is a common occurrence in Israel, with barely a week going by without a report of a doctor, nurse or other hospital personnel being attacked. In many cases, hospitals go on strike for several hours in protest over episodes of violence, where family members attack hospital staff because they feel their loved ones are not getting sufficient treatment. Nurses have long demanded better protection from attackers.

While nurses will be returning to work, the union representing them said that as long as a final agreement is not signed, the threat of a strike is still present. Union officials said that if an incident of violence breaks out, they expect that the government will take swift action to protect medical staff – and if they do not, the strike will return, but likely for much more than a day.