The rag is still burning at the Saint-Affrique hospital between unions and management

Par manque de médecins, des lits sont fermés dans deux services à l'hôpital Emile Borel de Saint-Affrique Midi Libre – J.M.C

Depuis ce jeudi 28 mars, 10 lits sur 22 sont fermés au service de médecine de l’hôpital saint-affricain.

Since last weekend, eight banners have been hanging on the gates of the Émile-Borel hospital center, at the initiative of the inter-union CGT, CFDT and Sud Santé. For the moment, the collective has not wished to express itself. Only the CGT agreed to explain its motivations. "The entire management, the interim director and the deputy director refuse social dialogue," regrets Régine Sauveplane, nurse and CGT secretary at the hospital. "They do not give us all the information necessary for the deliberations of the bodies in which we participate."

Sophie Tort, deputy director of the Saint-Affrique hospital, does not understand these comments. "The authorities are organized by providing the documents necessary to understand the files." On March 7, a meeting of the authorities relating to working conditions was held. "The unions declared that they did not wish to attend this instance, as well as all the others that would follow, at reason that management did not answer their questions, reveals Sophie Tort. The meeting was called again and the unions did not come."

Working groups for the design of the common hospital

The CGT then mentions the rate of participation in the working groups for the design of the common hospital:"Management says that the investment of agents from the two hospitals is massive while the participation rate of those from Saint-Affrique is anecdotal. We asked that these meeting times be counted as working time. The management refused." For Benoît Durand, interim director of the Millau and Saint-Affrique hospitals, "the organizers meetings say that since the end of 2023 the investment of people in the groups is greater with real emulation. 

Remuneration discussed

As for remuneration, executives and staff who do not require presence at the hospital can attend during their working time. For others, it is not counted in their working time. Concerning the operating room, a subject addressed by the CGT, Sophie Tort indicates that it works. "Air flows do not guarantee the level of hygiene required for certain operations in room number two. The cost of the work ranges from 400,000 € to 1.2 M€. In the forecast budget presented to the ARS, this expense was included. We're waiting for the return."

Ten closed beds in short-stay medicine

"There are bed closures", specifies Régine Sauveplane of the CGT of the hospital. "Agents are redeployed on a day-to-day basis here and there, depending on needs." Sophie Tort announces that&rsquo ;as of this Thursday, March 28, the hospital "closes 10 beds out of 22 in the short-stay medicine department due to lack of doctors. In the medical care and rehabilitation service, there are still 10 beds open out of 30 since summer 2023. Still due to a lack of doctors."

The question of the remuneration of on-call agents is also addressed by the CGT: "They are unequal between the agents of Millau and Saint-Affrique.&quot ; For Sophie Tort, there are two different establishments with agreements for each. "We are currently studying to what extent we can harmonize the management of working hours between the two sites."

Decisions of the steering committee 

For the CGT, the management organizes"the shift of medical and paramedical staff towards Millau to undress Saint-Affrique. In recent weeks, everything is accelerating unlike the South Aveyron medical project on which it is written in black and white that nothing must close either in Saint-Affrique or in Millau, until the opening of the common hospital. If the banners were hung on the gates of the Saint-Affricain hospital by the inter-union, it is, for the CGT, following the decisions taken by the steering committee (Copil) of the common hospital. "It favors the construction of the common hospital at the expense of the structures Even what was to remain on site in Millau, as in Saint-Affrique, is removed from the project. This is contrary to the commitments of the South Aveyron medical project." 

For Sophie Tort, the joint hospital project is accelerating. "This is a request from the ARS and the ministry. The only way out is to group together medicine, surgery and obstetrics activities in a single establishment to have a critical size and make having a new hospital more attractive for staff. The regional investment commission has validated the project, but savings must be sought. The project needs to be refined."