PSI health Workers unión of the Interamericas region held
their sixth meeting in Sao Paolo on 13, 14 and 15th August. A total
of 81 participants spent three days reviewing the challenges faced by health
Workers and health systems in the American continent.
They included 51 trade union leaders from Argentina, Brasil,
Canadá, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, EEUU, Guatemala, Montserrat, Nicaragua,
Paraguay, Perú and Trinidad Tobago. The PSI affiliate delegates consisted of 30
women and 26 men. The other participants were members of Latin American trade
union federations, Brazilian unions as well as NGOs.
The
central resolutions of the meeting were:
- Reaffirm
and Implement the policy and strategy for the health sector adopted by the
PSI World Congress held in Vienna in 2007
- Implement
the 5 points in the work plan adopted in May by the Healsh Services Task
Force.
Specific resolutions:
1. Hepatitis b – Promote
the immunization of all health Workers, when posible in programs of
collaboration with the WHO, negotiated by PSI. Participating union must be
involved in the entire vaccination process, demonstrating to Rank and file
Workers the importance of unión mobilization.
These
programs will focus on Nicaragua, Paraguay and Colombia. PSI will develop
a map with the incidence of hepatitis amongst health workers in the Americas,
which will be used to monitor our progress. Costa Rica agreed to lead the
implementation of this task.
2. AIDS: continue with
programs to prevent the infection of health Workers with AIDS at their
workplaces. Guatemala will be the initial priority country, with the support of
the Central America health network.
3. Workplace violence:
IT was decided to launch joint actions to prevent and respond to workplace
violence. Priority countries will be Paraguay, Brasil, Chile, Argentina
and the Countries of Central América.
4. Safe injection
devices: advócate their adoption as an effective way to prevent needlestick
injuries. Priority countries: Perú and Central America.
5. Training on
identification of workplace hazards and the development of Strategies for their
elimination. Priority countries: Southern cone Countries, Brasil,
Central America, Perú and Colombia.
6. Multinational corporations: monitor their activities to poenetrate the health sector in the Americas, promote resistance by trade unions to privatization and organization of Workers employed by them. Priority countries: Chile and Canada with research support from PSRIU, and support from PSI’s health services officer, Jorge Mancillas.
Key
Campaigns
1.
Quality health Services
2. Decent
work: collaborate with the ILO, CSA and
other union federations to fight against the precarization of employment and
the shift of public health services towards third sector and for better working
conditions and the right to collective bargaining.
3. Iberoamerican agreement on
Social Security: implement, monitor and use as an organizing tool
Countries
that should receive special attention in our regional workplan:
- Colombia
and Guatemala, due to high levels of violence against unions and in
society.
- Cuba,
need to defend their progress in the area of health- PSI should
participate in the health conference in Habana from 5 to 9 October (after
the Sao Paolo meeting, this conference was suspended).
- Paraguay,
given the oportunities that will open as a new government takes over.
Organizational structures
- Organize
a network of contacts. ANEP will take responsibility, with the support of
the Central American network.
- Develop
the regional health network website.
FENPRUSS will take responsibility with the support of Brazil.
- Regional health bulletin. Cicop will take responsibility with the support of
Fesprosa.
- Global
health worker migration Project.
2009 –Year of the Américas
- Participating countries: 06
(Barbados, Trinidad y Tobago, Chile, Ecuador, EEUU, Canadá). Need to add
02 more, Paraguay and one from Central America.
- Meeting
will be held in 2009, with participating countires and the IAMREC.
- WHO:
In may 2009, participate in achieving the adoption of a WHO code of
practice for the ethical recruitment of migrant health workers.
- Slogan
for the campaign in the Americas: workers have the right not to have to
mígrate and the right to freedom of movement.
Priority alliances
CSA: Confederación Sindical de las Américas
ASC: Alianza Social Continental
Schedule
FSA – Guatemala (october 2008)
Health
Services Task Force of the Alianza Social Continental – El Salvador (October 2008)
World Social Forum – Belem – Brasil (January 2009)
Migration
/ IAMREC (March 2009)
Health
Services Task Force meeting and WHA (mayo 2009)
The
meeting led to a great step forward in the organization and coordination of the
health sector unions in the region.
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