Ambulance service to reduce staff working hours without decreasing salaries following paramedic protest
In its statement, the Centre said its decision to reduce working hours for the staff would have a “significant impact” on their productivity and quality of medical care. It also noted monthly salaries of the ambulance crew ranged between ₾1,200 ($420/€391) and ₾2,000 ($699/€652). Photo: Georgian Health Ministry
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Georgia’s Emergency Situation Coordination and Urgent Assistance Centre has said it will reduce working hours for its staff while keeping their salaries unchanged, following a protest of ambulance crews on Friday.
Doctors, nurses and drivers of the service protested earlier today, demanding a doubling of their salary and “decent” working conditions. They said despite meetings with health authorities who made promises their salaries had not increased, and criticised a recent decision of the Government to abolish the state supplements issued to the professionals during the pandemic.
In its statement, the Centre said its decision to reduce working hours for the staff would have a “significant impact” on their productivity and quality of medical care. It also noted monthly salaries of the ambulance crew ranged between ₾1,200 ($420/€391) and ₾2,000 ($699/€652).
Improving working conditions of the employees is a process that is “underway,” the Centre said, noting an upgrade of their equipment was done in a continuous process.
It also said work on providing additional remuneration for holidays was also ongoing, expressing readiness to continue meetings with staff in a working format “to take into account the best interests of the Georgian citizens and the staff of the Centre.”
The health service also noted emergency calls had been “significantly reduced” due to the positive trends of the pandemic - contradicting statements by ambulance crews - and pointed out salaries of the professionals had not decreased since the end of the acute pandemic period.