Worker’s rights during COVID-19

Published in El Pais, 27 June 2020.

The health system in Bolivia has many challenges. COVID-19 is showing many other challenges, including respect for workers’ rights. The medical personnel (doctors, nurses, laboratory workers, etc.) of the public and private system have been affected by the emergency of COVID-19 and job deficiencies have increased the stress to the maximum level due to  COVID-19:

1. The right to rest after 8 hours of work: The lack of medical personnel has forced many to work up to 20 hours due to this emergency. Research has shown that people who work more than 10 hours lower their performance, are prone to human error and are in a bad mood. Do we want this risk in care? Is it their fault if something bad happens?
2. The right to decent work, with industrial security, hygiene, and occupational health: COVID-19 has forced many countries to increase biosecurity measures in health services, but many have not implemented anything. Each one must buy their material with the risk that some will not do so due to the disadvantage to their economy and the risk of infection increases for the entire team of workers and patients.
3. The right to work without harassment or threats or hostile environments: staff who have complained about the lack of biosafety supplies, COVID-19 tests and others have been threatened “if you don’t like the way we work here, leave. There are many who are looking for a job and would be happy to take your place”. It is the most common heard phrase to prevent staff from expressing concerns about a process or ideas to improve things. We criticize violence, but do we justify it in the workplace?
4. The right to receive a salary: Those who work in the private sector have not received regular payments due to the “financial fragility of companies” that threaten to fire those who complain. Do not even think about income aid that other countries have done!
5. The right to preserve your mental and physical health: You could miss work with an insurance note supporting your request, but with this emergency, you should also be allowed to stay home without this notice. Also let people work from home if they are in the risk group. Putting together proposals for protocols that do not exist now (burial, low-risk / high-risk patient management, taking COVID-19 tests on the sick and dead, collection of statistics, etc.)

These rights are framed in the New Political Constitution of the State in Bolivia, articles 46 to 49. Beyond sanctions, threats of trials that preserve social violence, it is important to control that the rights are respected so that medical personnel can feel good, physically, and psychologically, during difficult moments. Where is the Ministry of Labor? The consequences are for the entire population and are reflected in the quality of medical care.