health

Workers refuse overtime

Workers at the Laboratorio Nacional de Trasplante, which is part of the Caja del Seguro Social (CSS), were expected to begin refusing to work overtime starting today, which will impact people who are waiting for kidney transplants.

The workers say that the action is in response to the administration's refusal to pay them in full for working extra shifts.

Alejandro Vernaza, director of the lab, sent a letter to CSS officials informing them of the worker's decision on May 28 in an attempt to avoid the job action. That letter was never answered. Employees say they have to work an extra 33 shifts per month, but they are only paid for part of that time.

“This is a violation of our human rights,” Vernaza said. The workers are also upset about the condition of the facility. “The condition of the lab has deteriorated,” Vernaza said. The problems in the transplant program have existed for at least the last three years, said patient David Ocalagán, who is also head of a prominent foundation.

Ocalagán said one of the problems is that the lab has a monopoly on certain treatments because there are so few specialists in those regions of the country. Another problem is a lack of sufficient staff members.

CSS officials said yesterday that talks with the workers had failed to yield any results, and that they expect patients to be negatively impacted by the job action.