Thousands of care workers are denied the desired holiday: "Great disappointment"

- It's a big disappointment. We have been going on for nine to ten weeks now. So it is from disappointment, fatigue and that they are sad, says Karin Frank, who is the representative of the Healthcare Association at Mölndal Hospital. She is also an nurse in anesthesia and has had to move in for the past two months.

All care staff at Sahlgrenska University Hospital who work with covid-sick patients have had to see their four summer weeks divided. The holiday period which usually falls June-August is now extended over May-September.

Some may take the last summer week as late as early September. This is the case for many health care workers who have families, the Care Association believes. Negotiations around the holiday period with Sahlgrenska University Hospital ended at the end of April.

- The negotiations ended in disagreement, states Karin Frank, representative of the Healthcare Association at Mölndal Hospital.

But it is an exceptional situation, shouldn't you endure this kind of thing then?

- Yes, but everyone does. Everyone stands out very well, but there are boundaries for us too, says Karin Frank.

For each moved holiday week, the care workers are compensated with SEK 8,000. Here, the Health Care Association had wanted SEK 30,000.

At the same time as the influx of covid-19 sick patients has increased again in recent days, summer vacations for many will soon begin.

- We strive to have the cohesive holiday that the law says we should have, but under the prevailing circumstances, it will be difficult to manage. We have a patient influx that we must take into account, says Åsa Sand, Area Manager for IVA and Medicine at Mölndal Hospital.

The uncertainty surrounding the development makes it difficult to know how large the need for staff will be this summer.

- It has to do with how many patients we need to take care of, and it is difficult to calculate, says Åsa SAnd.

But the health union is worried about what may happen in the future.

- The worst case scenario is that some people go into sick leave. Or that they quit and maybe look for a job elsewhere, warns Karin Frank.