UPHOLD FILIPINO NURSES’ RIGHT TO DECENT
AND HUMANE WORK CONDITION
NO TO VOLUNTEERISM FOR A FEE!
Statement of the Philippine Nurses’ Association
during the Press Conference held in PNA National Office, January 14, 2011
The Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) vehemently opposed the unfair labor practice of many hospitals known as “volunteerism for a fee” where nurses are asked to pay thousands of pesos in exchange of volunteering for months without salaries and benefits, and without employee-employer relationship. Hence, no legal protection for the volunteer nurses. Worst, some hospitals cover themselves from any legal problems by calling their scheme as “training program”.
It is a very clear unfair labor practice on two grounds: (1) Registered Nurses who passed the Nurse Licensure Examinations (NLE) have passed through a 4-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) curriculum that have provided them the necessary skills and knowledge to perform regular nursing functions in the hospital Therefore, undergoing a “volunteerism for a fee” as form of training is NOT A PRE-REQUISITE FOR HIRING! Volunteerism for a fee is different from the accredited training programs approved by the Board of Nursing – PRC which is conducted by PRC-accredited Training Provider. (2) Registered nurses doing volunteer work concretely augment the deficit of nursing staff in many hospitals wherein the standard 1:10 nurse-patient ratio is not met. The presence of volunteer-nurses make hospitals meet the regular staffing requirement without having to pay salaries to the nurses. In fact, they are made to pay to provide such nursing services, giving the hospital additional revenue.
PNA demands the government to ban the practice of volunteerism-for-a-fee and to prosecute the hospitals performing this unfair labor practice! Calling the nurses as “willing victims” because of worsening unemployment problem in the nursing sector is an outright victim-blaming attitude! Let us protect these nurses who are taking care of the lives of many sick and dying people! The PNA believes that concrete SOLUTIONS must be done instead of blaming the nurse-victims.
1. The government must immediately fill-up vacant plantilla positions in many government hospitals to ensure quality nursing care.
2. The government must have the political will to create plantilla positions for nurses following the standard nurse-patient ratio especially in the rural areas where millions of poor children, women, elderly and other marginalized sectors are wanting to have access to basic and essential health care services. Being the largest sector of health providers, the role of nurses in the realization of Universal Health Care must be recognized and valued!
3. Contractualization of nurses, Job-orders and “sharing in plantilla positions” must not be allowed by the government to happen in any government or private hospital.
4. The Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Labor & Employment (DOLE) to regularly monitor hospitals and ensure that Training Programs for Nurses in the hospitals is conducted ONLY by BON-PRC accredited Training Provider/Hospitals with corresponding Certificates.
Putting an end into this “volunteerism for a fee” will not only provide better nursing opportunities for the Filipino nurses but will be a guarantee measure that Filipino people will be provided with quality nursing care!
PNA’s WIN-WIN SOLUTION To address “Volunteerism-for-a-Fee”
TERESITA IRIGO-BARCELO, PhD, RN (Sgd)
National President
Mobile Number: 09159111411
