“Yes! The very industry-based union that we have dreamt of”
President Yoo noted that “hospitals are getting bigger in size and cutting-edge medical equipment is increasing. In contrast, investment in labor is considered a cost to be cut and the medical service system is collapsing, thereby making it difficult for small sized and/or local hospitals to survive. So-called ‘kind loss (deficit)” that public healthcare organizations incur is regarded an area to improve while profits receive keen attention. Sustainable working conditions have been withdrawn under the name of normalization of management.”
“Recalling the lessons from experience that
struggles with the public and field workers will eventually win, the 7th
leadership will open a world of hope by interacting with in-service workers.”
added President Yoo.
Figure 2> KHMU 7th leadership
The 7th
leadership coined a slogan, “Yes! The very industry-based union that we have dreamt of” Seven Major
projects and plans include: ▲stop
healthcare privatization ▲ set the medical
service system right and re-open the Jinju Medical Center ▲
improve working conditions for a higher quality of services and safety of
patients ▲ enact a healthcare
workforce law to secure a sufficient number of qualified workers ▲successfully
implement pilot projects for comprehensive nursing services and introduce
self-sufficient hospitals that do not require families to supplement nursing
care for their family members in hospitals ▲
set up an effective and practical
evaluation system for healthcare organizations ▲
expand the coverage of national health insurance.
The 7th
leadership will serve from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2017. President Yoo
was reelected following her service during the 6th leadership, and Mi-Jeong Han and Gwon-Jong Choi would work for the
President as General Secretary and Chief Vice President respectively during the
7th leadership’s term.
The current leadership won with 94% support from
members in the election last November.
In the special
congress in December, four vice presidents and five auditors were elected by a delegation.
On the same day, the KHMU published a 400 page-long photo book that
contains the progress of 27 year-long healthcare workers’ movement and the 16
year-long industry-based labor movement.
The KHMU leadership plans to take a tour of regional offices on January 20 for more direct interactions with union members across the nation and to hold a regular congress on March 12 and 13 in order to confirm its year 2015 strategies and plans.
President Yoo, ji hyun