ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th December, 2021) Five Turkish healthcare unions representing more than 250,000 employees went on a 24-hour strike on Wednesday to demand better pay, lower patient load and safer working conditions, Turkish media reported.
The Daily Sabah newspaper said about 500 medical workers held a protest in Ankara. Industry workers are angered by the withdrawal of a bill in parliament that would increase their wages as the lira plummets, according to the report.
"The health ministry is not keeping its promises. We are demanding a pay rise that matches inflation, at least. We demand that the coronavirus is recognized as an occupational illness," Aydin Erol, a laboratory worker, was quoted as saying.
During the strike, only COVID-19 wards, emergency services and oncology clinics saw patients.
