In less than three months the rankings for the competition for the hiring of social and health workers in public companies in the Veneto will expire. There are still 2,520 eligible people on the list, that is, 60% of the winners proclaimed two years ago, who however were never hired: aspiring workers who will demonstrate in Venice this morning, to ask the Region to speed up the procedures. «Existing lists need to be extendedor anticipate the replacement of employees due for retirement, otherwise we will have to redo the selection all over again: an absurdity, given the shortage of staff in hospitals”, says Sonia Todesco of FP Cgil, the union which will meet councilor Manuela at the end of the demonstration Lanzarin.
Contracts and the race against time
At the time the procedure had been announced for 253 posts, but given the growing needs of healthcare and hospital companies, over time many more contracts have been formalizedthanks to the scrolling of the rankings: lists approved on 21 July 2022, with a two-year duration, so the race against time will expire on July 20th. According to the numbers collected by the FP Cgil, a total of 1,677 health workers have been hired so far out of the 4,197 eligible ones, equal to 40%. At a territorial level the situation is diversified: Ulss 1 Belluno Dolomiti and the Verona hospital have employed over 90% of their winners, while the share of use by Ulss 2 Marca Trevigiana has remained under 30%. Ulss 5 Polesana, Ulss 6 Euganea, Ulss 7 Pedemontana and Ulss 9 Scaligera. «A situation that deserves a decisive action on the part of companies – says Todesco – and for this reason, with a note sent last Friday, we invited the Veneto Region to proceed quickly, without slowdowns caused by the authorization process of the Crite (Regional Commission for investment in technology and construction, ed), to the hiring of the OSS present in the rankings”.
The knot
According to the trade union organization, the issue is more “political” than financial: «From what we understand, the funds are there, at least to cover a large part of the availability. The problem is that most of those eligible currently work in nursing homes and the Region does not feel like putting those structures in difficulty by hiring those attracted by the public salary, which is even 300-400 euros higher per month than that of private entities. But the RSAs must find their own organizational tools, without penalizing the regional health service bodies.” Two options will be proposed at Palazzo Balbi: extend the existing rankings by one year, as Tuscany did in January (but a regional law must be approved and time is running out); or anticipate the management of the turnover expected in 2024, already contracting the replacements of the employees who will retire between August and December.
The age
In this regard, in fact, it must be said that bones also age. According to the latest data from the State’s annual account, relating to 2021, there are 9,726 permanent socio-health workers employed in public health in Veneto: over 8,000 are women, the average age is 50 years and 37% are over 55. «Even given these numbers and the physically demanding tasks to which these workers are subjected, many of whom have limitations, urgent intervention is necessary with regards to hiring», reiterates Todesco. The issue is also at the center of a question presented by regional councilor Anna Maria Bigon (Pd), who points out that additional staff will also be needed for the «next establishment of Community Houses and Community Hospitals, scheduled for 2026 ».
