In a struggle to defend public health, sector workers have denounced the covert privatization of hospitals in Argentina. Many employees received non-renewal telegrams at the beginning of the year, highlighting a labor crisis in the health sector. According to human rights defender Pérez Esquivel, the massive privatization in the 90s left only three sectors untouched: dogs, cats, and parrots.
The unions UPCN and ATE have been criticized for their silence on this situation, failing to call for strikes or mobilizations to defend the rights of health workers. The lack of union action has left numerous families without income and deepened labor precariousness in the hospital sector.
Privatization manifests in the outsourcing of services from national hospitals, leading to serious consequences for health care and the stripping of basic rights from workers. The impact of these measures is reflected in the lack of personnel and the precariousness of working conditions, with contracts through a simplified tax regime that absolve authorities from ensuring fundamental labor rights.
The dismantling of public hospitals to favor friendly companies and the negligence of union leadership have created an atmosphere of uncertainty and discontent among health workers. The lack of dialogue and the absence of labor protection measures have led to job losses and a deterioration in the quality of health care.
Amid this crisis, workers urge mobilization and the defense of national public hospitals. The commodification of health services and the lack of union action pose a threat to the health and well-being of the population. The struggle to reclaim labor rights and ensure quality health care is a priority for sector workers.