Covid premium private temporary workers at the risk of a caregiver shortage

Excluded from the Covid premium system, many temporary caregivers no longer want to work in a Covid unit, which raises a significant risk of a shortage of caregivers both in the hospital and in nursing homes.

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• Come as reinforcements at the hospital or even in nursing homes, the interim caregivers performed the same tasks as their regular colleagues.

• Exposed to the same risks in the face of the coronavirus, they are however not eligible for the Covid premium promised by Emmanuel Macron to all caregivers.

• For them, there is no question of coming again to reinforce the Covid units if they do not receive the Covid premium, which raises a significant risk of a shortage of caregivers in the coming weeks.

"I am making a call, especially in nursing homes, we need reinforcement", declared the Minister of Health Olivier Véran a few days ago, calling on available caregivers to come and fill the "open positions, funded positions, which are not filled ”.

While the sector has been chronically understaffed for several years, the phenomenon has taken on a new dimension with the outbreak of Covid-19: the needs are exponential, and far from being met, giving rise to fears of a shortage of caregivers.

Will the appeal of the Minister of Health be heard?

Nothing is less sure.

Aware of the extreme efforts made by caregivers from the start of the epidemic, Emmanuel Macron promised them all last March the payment of an exceptional premium, the Covid premium, which can go up to 1,500 euros, materialized by a published decree a few weeks later, on May 15, in the Official Journal.

But the first of the roped party did not all receive it.

For small hands on temporary or temporary contracts, nada!

No bonus for them, they are simply excluded from this device.

An “intolerable” exclusion for Prism'Emploi, the federation of the temporary work sector, which quickly sent an open letter to the Minister of Health, which remained unanswered.

An “unjustified discrimination”, estimates Ludovic Boillon, health referent of the FO union.

So, for many of these caregivers excluded from the Covid premium because of their temporary status, there is no question of resuming.

Experienced by the lack of recognition after having worked as close as possible to Covid-19 during the first wave, their decision is made: if they are called in as reinforcements to work in the Covid unit, they will be absent subscribers.

With the key a very real risk: that of a shortage of caregivers.

"They went to the front like the others", but "are the forgotten ones of this crisis"

"Temporary caregivers are the forgotten people of this Covid-19 crisis, deplores Lucie Gabrielli, director of the health center of Interim'R Santé, a national network of temporary agencies specializing in the medical and paramedical field.

Caregivers for the public, private, nursing homes or at home: all have been entitled to it, except temporary workers and temporary workers.

However, they went to the front like the others, experienced the same exhaustion, were exposed to the same risks.

At the height of the first wave, personal protective equipment was lacking for caregivers, many of whom have contracted the virus.

The temporary workers were called in as reinforcements and at that time, a number of units operated almost entirely without permanent staff, thanks to the temporary workers, some of whom also contracted the coronavirus ”.

Thus, "all over the country, temporary medical and paramedical professionals volunteered and without hesitation joined the health establishments in difficulty", underline the trade unions (CGT, CFDT, CFTC, FO, CFE-CGC, Unsa and Prism'emploi) in a letter of July 24.

This is the case of Fanny Pignon, interim nurse for eight years, after two years spent at AP-HP.

“During the crisis, I worked as reinforcements in various services, from March.

We came en masse to look for temporary workers to reinforce resuscitation, so I volunteered as a temporary worker at Henri Mondor hospital (Créteil) in intensive care, whereas I usually do not carry out any outside mission. from Paris because it's too far from my home.

But there, I did it to lend a hand to my colleagues in distress.

In three months, I worked 618 hours, or 52 hours per week on average: it is an additional month of working time compared to an incumbent ”, explains the nurse.

"When an exceptional bonus was announced to recognize the dedication and work made during this period, all these staff logically thought that it would be granted to all of them", add the trade unions in their mail.

"I never had the slightest return"

For weeks on end, Fanny and all these interim nursing colleagues believed they could receive this bonus, they who were applauded every evening during confinement.

"I received the honors by being invited by the Regional Health Agency to the July 14 cocktail party at the Elysee Palace," says the nurse.

I took the opportunity to question Olivier Véran on the payment of the Covid premium to interim caregivers, we who were left out.

He replied that it was not normal, that I would be contacted by the ministry, but I never had the slightest feedback ”.

"A petition has been launched, and has collected to date more than 37,500 signatures, and we have challenged a large number of parliamentarians on this unjust discrimination, for lack of a return from Olivier Véran", indicates Ludovic Boillon, elected FO .

Last June, Senator LR from Morbihan Muriel Jourda thus addressed a written question to the Minister of Health published in the Official Journal of the Senate, asking him "what measures are envisaged in order to thank these health personnel who have also contributed by their responsiveness and know-how in caring for Covid-19 patients ”.

The senator believes that the Covid premium "should also be awarded to interim health professionals, present in large numbers in health centers and without whom patient care could not have been so effective".

Three months later, his question is still “awaiting a response from the Ministry of Health”.

In the meantime, on July 23, the exclusion of interim caregivers from the Covid premium was endorsed by the amending finance bill definitively adopted by Parliament.

Temporary "mercenaries"?

So why are temporary caregivers excluded from this system?

Contacted by 

, the Ministry of Health felt that it was not competent to answer this question, referring us to the General Directorate for the provision of care (DGOS), which depends… on the Ministry of Health.

“The Covid bonus has been put in place so that each establishment can enhance the commitment of its caregivers, both medical and paramedical professions, in the face of the crisis, answers the DGOS to

.

It therefore covers all of the establishment's salaried professionals, but does not extend to temporary workers who have come to reinforce their ranks, ”she explains, without really explaining the why and how.

What if the root of the problem came precisely from the status of interim caregiver?

"For several years, they have been in the sights of the government, in particular Agnès Buzyn, then minister, who qualified them in 2018 as" mercenaries ", recalls Ludovic Boillon.

A vision shared by Olivier Véran, on the occasion of a report submitted in 2013 on the cost of temporary doctors, when he was deputy for Isère ”.

Within the framework of the Ségur of health, the one who is today Minister of Health indicated in July wanting to "put an end" to the "mercenarism" of the medical interim, which "gave rise to too much abuse, too much. long time ".

But "they make the same amalgamation, pointing to the temporary doctors who make 24-hour guards paid up to 2,000 euros, to cast shame on all the temporary caregivers.

However, when a nurse or a caregiver performs a temporary replacement, in this case, the salary received corresponds to the salary of the replaced person, to which is added the precariousness premium and paid leave, because this is precarious employees ”, insists Ludovic Boillon.

So, if the government is in need of help today, “why does it not initiate a complete overhaul of the health system by putting an end to the interim health care worker and mass tenure?

», Asks Ludovic Boillon.

"Unless this bonus is only a communication operation, and the exclusion of temporary workers is only a means of making savings on their backs".

"The shortage of caregivers, we can already see it"

However, the needs are colossal.

“We have had a phenomenal health interim boom in recent months,” observes Lucie Gabrielli.

But we are struggling to meet demand, and offers are struggling to find takers.

Many nursing homes are now faced with a risk of re-confinement of the elderly, due to a lack of staff, permanent or temporary.

The shortage of caregivers, as we can already see, has been a chronic problem for a long time.

But after this first wave, which did a lot of harm, it lurks in all health establishments.

Despite the vocation, without recognition, it is more difficult today to re-mobilize exhausted and disillusioned interim caregivers.

The situation in the coming months is likely to be critical, ”she fears.

It will not be necessary besides to count on Fanny.

“I told the minister that if he assured me that he considered us as full-fledged caregivers, benefiting from the bonus like the others, I would volunteer for a reinforcement in Guyana.

But for him, we are just mercenaries.

So the second wave will be done without me, I will not put my health in danger!

"

“No bonus, no Covid reinforcement”, sums up Ludovic Boillon, who is launching a week of punching action.

“I call on interim caregivers, considered as employees of the service sector and not fully as caregivers, not to accept any assignment the week of October 17 to 24.

All over France, entire services operate almost exclusively thanks to their support.

However, of the 2.8 million temporary workers in France, 7% work in temporary care, it is time to recognize their work.

Without them, there is no more care, the machine jams as certain sectors are constantly in a tight flow ”.

For its part, the CGT-Interim calls on Thursday for a mobilization in front of the headquarters of the AP-HP "to demand real equality of treatment", "while the threat of # COVID19 is increasing, the government continues to despise temporary health workers by excluding them from the covid premium ”.

As the threat of # COVID19 grows, the government continues to despise temporary health workers by excluding them from the covid premium.

Join us on 01/10 at 2 p.m. before the AP-HP headquarters to demand real equality of treatment. # Interim #BalanceTonInterim pic.twitter.com/4fmKFbkeal

- CGT Interim (@cgtinterim) September 28, 2020

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