Today, unionists and left-wing activists took over the offices of the Medical Directorate of the Garrahan Hospital, where they held staff and interrupted the institution's operations amid a conflict over salary deductions applied during recent strikes.
Sources from the pediatric center's administration reported that the ATE and APyT unions stormed the directorate building in an action they described as "violent and extortionate".
"The violent actions arose because the Board of Directors applied deductions for days not worked during the strikes, complying with current regulations and the attendance policy in effect for all staff," the hospital stated.
According to the institutional version, the union reaction "shows that this is not a legitimate labor claim, but a political maneuver aimed at paralyzing management".
"A left-wing sector is trying to impose its partisan interests within the hospital, putting the care of thousands of children at risk. It is not a space for militancy or a union spoils system," they added.
"We will not allow practices of pressure, violence, and union coercion to become a method of operation," the authorities added.
Despite the takeover, the hospital's management assured that it continues to function and that "the budget is guaranteed, the bonuses for staff remain, and the works for over 30 billion pesos are advancing with self-financing".
The communiqué concludes: "The Garrahan Hospital is an institution at the service of children and their families. We will continue to defend its mission, its prestige, the medical team, and, above all, patient care."
