The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) has long complained about the acute shortage of nurses, which, it claimed, was causing its members work-related stress. The union took action when it felt that this shortage, although acknowledged by the government, was not being addressed adequately. When the University of Malta rejected applicants for a nursing course, the union organised industrial action to express its support for them and its dissatisfaction with the government.
Shortage of nurses leads to industrial conflict
The shortage of nurses has for long been a contentious issue between the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) and the government (MT0812039I). The union says that despite an agreement signed with government in 2007, the number of new graduates in nursing has not matched the demand. MUMN estimates there is a shortage of 700 nurses, and it insists that 300 new ones should be recruited every year. This year after only 44 new graduates finished their course, the union claimed the lack of staff has led to job-related stress.
The union organised a protest against the university after 100 applicants for its nursing course were rejected. It has also announced partial industrial action such as refraining from taking blood samples at health centres, as well as refusing to collect medicine from the Mount Carmel pharmacy. The Minister of Health, Joseph Cassar, called these actions irresponsible, while the Director General of Health, Raymond Busuttil, called the union’s actions illegal and insisted it had no valid reason for them. Mount Carmel Hospital, the main psychiatric hospital, became a focus for industrial action as the union claimed that it was suffering from a lack of staff and equipment, such as a stand-by generator. As attempts at mediation failed, the union stepped up its action, instructing nurses to leave wards if patients became aggressive due to missing treatment – however, no such incidents were reported. Nurses were also told to leave the wards in case of power failures.
Reconciliation following talks
The university authorities said that the nursing applicants were rejected, not to restrict the number of undergraduates but because only a certain number of nurses could be accommodated at the hospital for practical work. Minister Cassar said that since the Mount Carmel Hospital is not equipped with life-saving equipment or an intensive-care unit, there was no need for it to have a stand-by generator. Following this, the Ministry of Health wrote to employees warning them about their action. This was seen as intimidation by the union and the issue escalated. However, Minister Cassar gave a newspaper interview acknowledging the shortage of nurses and adding that it was necessary to quantify it exactly. The President of MUMN, Paul Pace, said the union was ready to talk as long as the minister was ready to come up with solutions. Both parties then had several meetings which were described as ‘cordial and effective’ and led to the suspension of industrial action. On the inauguration day of the University Academic Year 2010/2011, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health announced that, following the negotiations, 170 students were being admitted to the nursing course.
Commentary
It is clear that both parties agree that there is a shortage of nurses. The conflict arose over how to deal with this, with the union calling for more visible government action. The union is not keen on using foreign nurses; they regard it as a partial measure which does not offer the right solutions. This conflict also exposed a number of shortcomings which are being addressed.
Saviour Rizzo, Centre for Labour Studies