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Anger of liberal nurses: nursing staff demand better salaries
Filter dams, rallies: liberal nurses are increasing their actions throughout France on Saturday February 17. In particular, they are asking for better remuneration, because their prices have not been revised upwards for fifteen years. – (France 2)
Filter dams, rallies… Liberal nurses are stepping up actions throughout France on Saturday. In particular, they are asking for better remuneration, because their prices have not been revised upwards for fifteen years.
Two liberal nurses share the same daily life. As they spend up to twelve hours a day at their patients’ bedsides, they demand more recognition. Every day, Élodie takes care of an elderly patient in Ain. She washes him every morning, helps him get around “and all of this is not recognized as arduous work”deplores Élodie Roux, member of the collective “Infirmiers Libéraux en Colère”, at the origin of the mobilization in several large cities, Saturday February 17.
This nurse is paid based on the care provided, but the rates have not changed since 2009. She earns less than 2,000 euros net each month, despite working 50-hour weeks.
Better pay
Hélène Micon shares the same workload, in Isère. Available 24 hours a day, liberal nurses ensure the continuity of home care. “We know when we’re leaving, but we absolutely don’t know when we’re coming back”, she says. Every day, she adds around a hundred kilometers to her vehicle’s odometer. For each trip, regardless of the distance, Hélène is paid 2.75 euros. Too little, according to this nurse, who fears not being able to keep up the pace until retirement.
