The main protest, on 21 June, gathered around 7.000-10.000 nurses and doctors, who stayed overnight in front of the government’s headquarters, in Warsaw. The next day, the police removed the protesters from the city road with a result of three wounded nurses, one reported to have had a heart attack.
The protest has been accompanied by strikes at hospitals across Poland during June and July. Nurses and doctors ended the sit-in near the prime minister’s office on 16 July, declaring their protest as a success even though they have not already achieved their objectives.
The Government refused to meet the demonstrators the day after the 21 June protest, and as international newspapers write, conservative Prime Minister Kaczynski has said "health care workers deserved a raise but were making unrealistic demands that would hurt public finances."
Polish nurses data
Nurses in Poland earn the local equivalent of 220-320 Euro (800-1200 PLN).
Average salary in Poland is on the level of 650 Euro (2424 PLN).
Polish nurses are currently massively leaving to other EU countries.
Health sector is chronically underfunded.
The unions said, according to international newspapers, that they ended the protests for the summer, but they vowed to resume their efforts in September, although the government has promised to increase health care wages next year.
For further information:
Poland business network website
Human rights house website
European Federation of Nurses Associations
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