SYRIZA-PS / To end the labor hostage of the “Philos II” workers

The need for immediate renewal of the contracts of the staff of the “Philos II” Programwhich expire on February 15highlighted by a question submitted to the Parliament by 22 of its deputies SYRIZA -PS.

As reported by “the employees of the Program, including the doctors and nurses of “Subproject 4”, although they served the needs medical care for refugees and immigrants, supported the NHS during the pandemic and have now been integrated into the permanent staff of our hospitals, covering permanent and permanent health needs of the population, they are in danger of staying unemployed, while in hospitals they will be created serious gaps and operational problems.»

“The government must renew their two-month and three-month contracts, into long-term contracts, proceed immediately to permanent recruitments with increased scoring for Program employees, so as to secure the their labor rights and cover them vacancies in the NSS“, they note, among other things.

The question in detail

Question

To Mr. Ministers:

Health

Immigration and Asylum

Citizen Protection

Topic: “The “hostage” of the workers in the “PHILOS II” Program, for the medical treatment of refugees and immigrants, under the government’s responsibility, continues.

The “PHILOS I” and “PHILOS II” Programs (“Integrated emergency health intervention for the refugee crisis”) were designed in 2017 by the SYRIZA government and are being implemented to this day, with the aim of providing health coverage for the refugee population and protecting public health .

In this context, the SYRIZA government secured three consecutive fundings from the European Commission (“DG HOME”) to strengthen the public health system and care for refugees. In the first phase, the Program was implemented in the islands of the eastern Aegean (through “ISF-EMAS”, with a budget of 3.3 million euros), and in the second phase throughout the country (through “AMIF: PHILOS I”, with a budget of 24 million euros, and of “PHILOS II”, with a budget of 53 million euros). The “National Public Health Organization” (EODY) was designated as the responsible implementing body for the Programs in question.

However, it is clear that seven years after funding was first secured, the New Democracy governments’ responsibilities for the serious operational problems facing the Program are enormous.

The medical, nursing, administrative staff, as well as the psychosocial support staff working in the Program, have been abandoned

without equipment, means of personal protection, but also without sufficient training and support, while it has been forced to take on additional tasks, beyond its original object, from the period of the pandemic onwards, with the result that it now covers permanent and permanent needs of the Hospitals.

Also, there are constantly arrears in the salary of the employees, which are paid with delays of months and often “against” and not in full, while delays have also been recorded in the payment of the benefits to which they are entitled.

Finally, the workers in the Program are in a permanent state of informal labor “hostage”, as the Program continues with extensions of a few months, while its future remains institutionally and financially uncertain. According to the relevant Amendment passed in September 2023, the Program expires on 15/2/2024, and the workers are anxious about the possible loss of their jobs, while it remains unknown when the transition procedures to the new primary health service provision program will be completed and psychosocial support “IPPOKRATIS”, which has been announced by the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum1.

Because the health coverage of refugees and immigrants is a matter for the whole society, both from a humanitarian point of view and from that of public health.

Because hundreds of workers in the Program are at risk of being unemployed after consecutive years of substantial and selfless service, since the Program expires on 02/15/2024, while its future remains unknown.

Because the operation of the “PHILOS II” Program with continuous two-month extensions of the employees’ contracts, on the one hand, traps them in a labor “hostage” status, and on the other hand, does not facilitate the smooth operation of the Hospitals -where they now cover permanent and permanent needs-, since on-calls etc. cannot be planned in time.

Because, although the Minister of Health states in his recent statement that his main concern is the staffing of the Hospitals with medical and nursing staff, the doctors and nurses of “Subproject 4” of “PHILOS II”, who supported the NHS throughout the pandemic and are now counted among the permanent staff of the hospitals and cover permanent and lasting needs – not only for the health coverage of the refugees, but of the entire population –, they are at risk of being unemployed, while new operational problems will be created in the Hospitals.

Because SYRIZA-PS has repeatedly filed Parliamentary Control Instruments2 for the future of the Program, without receiving substantial answers from the co-competent Ministries.

Mr. and Mrs. Ministers:

1) They will take the necessary actions to end the “hostage” status of the staff of the “PHILOS II” Program, to finally launch permanent recruitment with increased quota for the already employed, to secure their labor rights, to fill the vacant positions, but also to upgrade the conditions for the provision of health services within the framework of the Program?

2) Will they proceed with the immediate renewal of the contracts of the Program staff, which expire on 02/15/203, so that the workers who offer valuable health services do not find themselves unemployed?

3) Will the Ministry of Health take political, scientific and organizational responsibility for the health of refugees and immigrants, or will the ambiguity of roles and responsibilities between the Ministries of Health, Citizen Protection and Immigration and Asylum continue?

4) Will they take the appropriate actions to ensure the unhindered continuation of the financing of the “Integrated emergency health intervention for the refugee crisis” program from European funds?

5) Especially for the employees of “Subproject 4” of the Program, which concerns the already understaffed Hospitals, will solutions be considered such as their possible integration into the auxiliary staff of the Health and Human Services across Greece?

The questioning Members of Parliament

Poulos Iotas

Panagiotopoulos Andreas

Dear Nina

Psychogios Georgios

Barkas Konstantinos

Akrita Elena

Avlonitis Alexander

Vetta Calliope

Gavril Georgios

Dear Rena

Zambaras Miltiadis

Iliopoulos Othon

Thracian Heaven

Karameros Georgios

Kontotoli Marina

Athena Linou

Malama Sunday

Ekaterini Notopoulou

Mamoulakis Charalambos

George Papailiou

Papas Petros

Christidou Rally