On August 23, KHMU Announced the ‘Tripartite Joint Declaration on Job Creation in the Healthcare Sector’
The KHMU, the government, and employers announced the <Tripartite Joint Declaration on Job Creation in the Healthcare Sector> on August 23.
‘The Presidential Committee on Job Creation’ hosted this event, joined by around 400 concerned people, including KHMU leaders, employers, the Vice President of the Committee, the Minister of Health and Welfare, the vice Minister of Education and Chief Secretary for job of the Blue house.
The representatives of each side mutually agreed to secure a sufficient number of qualified staff in order to enhance patients’ safety, provide quality services, and increase access to medical services.
The three sides also jointly committed to improve working conditions by shortening working hours and making the work shift system better in order to maintain adequate staffing levels. In addition, they decided to regularize irregular jobs and extend maternity benefits to help workers achieve a better work-life balance.
At the same time, the parties drew up with ten challenges to be discussed and decided to continue the social dialogue to resolve those issues.
KHMU President Yoo who had an operation for cancer early June and is still being medically treated also attended the official ceremony for the first time after the surgery. Breaking up the whole crowd, she said, “I am very proud that we’re finally able to help the needs of Korean people for more jobs be met.” Plus, “The ten major challenges cover a wide range of matters from goals and directions to action plans for decent job creation in the healthcare sector. If a sub-committee dedicated to the healthcare sector is established and further discussions are held in more earnest, then, more innovative ideas and plans will come out for more jobs with quality working environment.
In Korea’s history, such a tripartite agreement has never been made until then, although the tripartite social dialogue has long been requested by the KHMU. The KHMU expects this three party negotiation mechanism to achieve a breakthrough: dramatically improve working conditions and hire more workers.
Meanwhile, the government established the Presidential Committee on Job Creation (Head, President Moon Jae-in of Republic of Korea). The KHMU requested the establishment of a sub-committee specialized in the health and medical sector, and the government agreed. The healthcare-specific Sub Committee will begin its activities in September.
Tripartite Joint Declaration
The Tripartite Joint Declaration on Job Creation in the Healthcare Sector
The representatives of workers, employers and the government (hereinafter, the Tripartite) share a common recognition that a sufficient number of personnel is necessary to enhance patients’ safety, provide quality medical services, and increase public access to medical services. Herein, we declares the following:
The Tripartite and the hospital association affirm that the health and medical sector is the sector in most need of more decent jobs and will cooperate to provide decent jobs and improve the quality of working conditions.
To create jobs and improve working conditions in the health and medical sector, labor and employers will continue discussing the following agenda in good faith. 1)How to maintain an adequate staffing level 2)How to improve working conditions (shortening working hours, improving the shift system and workers’ welfare and benefits, creating a healthy workplace culture, among other goals) 3)How to convert irregular job positions to regular job positions 4)How to protect and extend maternity benefits and help workers achieve a work-life balance 5)How to prevent career-interruption cases, help workers secure employment in consecutive years, and make use of idle manpower 6)And attend to other matters as necessary to create decent jobs
The government will strengthen the legal, institutional and financial foundation to systematically manage and support decent job creation and improvement of working conditions, while establishing a sub-committee specific to the health and medical sector under the Presidential Committee on Job Creation, as part of the effort to implement the current joint declaration.
The Tripartite promises the people of Korea that it will endeavor to accomplish <Happy Patients – Happy Workers – A Satisfied Public- Good Hospitals> by drafting joint plans to create decent jobs in the health and medical sector that directly affects the health and lives of the Korean people.
Ten Major Challenges to be Discussed (Draft Proposal)
Comprehensive measures to secure a sufficient level of nursing manpower
Plans to supply manpower for extensive integrated nursing-caregiving services
Plans to secure a sufficient number of manpower for the lesser served areas and public healthcare services
Measures for maternity protection and workers’ work-life balance by securing maternity benefits and leave guarantees
Plans for more secure labor, including regularization of irregular workers in the healthcare sector
Healthcare Manpower Management system Set-up
Job creation culture and environment should be settled among health and medical institutions.
Measures to strengthen the infrastructure of healthcare services in regions
Measures to provide financial benefits and support to the healthcare institutions that secure more human resources.
Measures to stimulate greater innovation in the health and medical sector to help it better address the future and create more jobs (fostering future-oriented new industry
KHMU President Yoo Ji Hyun
KHMU President Yoo Ji Hyun
KHMU President Yoo Ji Hyun
KHMU Leaders