ALERT: Almost all Dutch hospitals shut their doors today

Starting at 8 AM today, on Thursday, March 16, hospital staff will walk away from their work. Why? You guessed it: They’re on strike.

Like on a Sunday, the only hospital services offered today will be emergency care — all other appointments are cancelled.

According to the labour unions, “Sunday shift”-strikes like these are the ultimate form of strike in the healthcare sector. A total of 64 hospitals throughout the Netherlands are participating.

Frustrations lead to cancellations

By cancelling appointments and only offering emergency care, hospital workers are expressing their frustration with the NVZ (Dutch Association of Hospitals).

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Dutch labour unions agree that hospital staff needs higher wages, better compensation for on-call shifts and more suitable schedules.

All of this is necessary, as CNV director Joost Veldt tells RTL Nieuws, to prevent staff from leaving the extremely stressful healthcare industry.

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Pay up, Ministry of Health!

Chairman of the NVZ, Ad Melkert, states that the hospitals are unable to give the wage increase that the labour unions are demanding. Instead, he wants the Dutch Ministry of Health to pay up.

Minister Ernst Kuipers has said that he would not respond to this appeal.

What do you think about hospitals going on strike throughout the Netherlands? Tell us in the comments!

Feature Image:Depositphotos
Lyna Meyrer 🇱🇺
Lyna Meyrer 🇱🇺
Say 'hoi' to Lyna, our Senior Writer at DutchReview! Fueled by a love for writing, social media, and all things Dutch, she joined the DR family in 2022. Since making the Netherlands her home in 2018, she has collected a BA in English Literature & Society (Hons.) and an RMA in Arts, Literature and Media (Hons.). Even though she grew up just a few hours away from the Netherlands, Lyna remains captivated by the guttural language, quirky culture, and questionable foods that make the Netherlands so wonderfully Dutch.

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