Hospitals, clinics and family health centers face nursing labor dispute

The Israeli Nurses Union has launched a labor dispute. The background: Claims of inadequate caregiver-to-patient ratios, funding cuts blocking staff hires, and a critical lack of hospital beds.

The Israeli Nurses Union launched a broad labor dispute last week covering roughly 60,000 nurses nationwide. The action spans all nursing roles in the healthcare system, from hospitals and clinics to institutes, family health centers known as Tipat Halav, and nursing schools. Union leaders cited mounting workloads, physical and mental exhaustion among staff, and what they call ongoing neglect by the state and employers regarding better employment terms.

Union representatives outlined several factors behind the dispute. Central among them is the steady rise in demands placed on nurses in hospital wards, community settings, and public health without matching support. The union notes a poor caregiver-to-patient ratio paired with insufficient resources, which fuels physical, mental, and professional fatigue while harming working conditions and threatening care quality.

Further concerns include the state and employers avoiding talks on fixing substandard conditions. These involve shortages in infrastructure, hospital beds, and skilled personnel. The union stresses that restrictions and budget cuts are blocking recruitment of new staff into the system.

In addition to general workload pressures, the union highlights targeted impacts on the profession, such as substituting the scrub nurse role in operating rooms with non-professional technical staff. Another factor is the planned unilateral privatization of student health services, which the union says threatens nurses' conditions and rights.

Shaul Skif, chairman of the Israeli Nurses Union, stated: "Instead of bolstering front-line caregivers, the state and employers keep overlooking the strain and rising burnout. At a moment when the healthcare system faces unprecedented demands from treating and rehabilitating thousands wounded physically and mentally by the war, nurses shoulder heavy loads amid severe shortages of staff and infrastructure. We will deploy every available tool to protect not only nurses' rights but also the system's capacity to deliver professional, safe, and appropriate care now and ahead."

The Health Ministry responded: "The Health Ministry values nurses' contributions and works steadily to advance their roles, status, professionalism, and to ease their workloads. In recent years the ministry has created new positions, improved nurse compensation, narrowed staffing gaps, and added numerous roles. The most recent wage agreement for nursing was signed in November 2023 and runs through the end of 2027. It followed standard negotiations involving the Nurses Union, the Finance Ministry wage director, and the Health Ministry."

The Health Ministry added: "Over recent years more than 2,500 new positions have been created, and the ministry continues efforts to reinforce the system, improve conditions, and curb burnout. Several discussions with the Nurses Union have taken place in recent months, with more planned soon. The Health Ministry urges the Nurses Union to sustain the ongoing dialogue to further develop the nursing profession and avoid unnecessary effects on patients."