President Sert paid a working visit to Italy

The Öz Sağlık-İş, the leading union in Türkiye’s health and social services sector, continues to strengthen its international contacts and cooperation with trade union organisations worldwide.

Mr. Devlet Sert, Deputy President of the HAK-İŞ Trade Union Confederation and President of the Öz Sağlık-İş Health and Social Services Workers’ Union, visited the headquarters of the Italian trade union organisations UIL FPL (Unione Italiana del Lavoro – Federazione Poteri Locali) and UIL in Rome, the capital of Italy, where he held a series of meetings.

As part of the working visit programme, President Sert met at UIL FPL headquarters with its executives, including Ms. Rita Longobardi, National General Secretary of UIL FPL, and Ms. Chiara Lucacchioni, National Press and Communications Officer of UIL FPL.

During the visit, Mr. Sert provided his counterparts with information about the union’s efforts to protect and improve the rights of health and social services workers in Türkiye, enhance their working conditions, and raise their living standards.

At the meeting with the UIL FPL leadership, the participants discussed common challenges facing healthcare workers, public-sector employment models, occupational health and safety (OHS), and opportunities for institutional cooperation and the exchange of knowledge and experience between the two unions.

MR. SERT EMPHASIZED INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY BETWEEN ÖZ SAĞLIK-İŞ AND UIL FPL  

Highlighting the contribution of international trade union contacts to the struggle to protect and advance the rights of health and social services workers, Mr. Devlet Sert, President of Öz Sağlık-İş, made the following remarks:

“We are doing our best to represent the struggle of health and social services workers with the utmost strength on the international arena. The high-level discussions we held with our counterparts at UIL FPL in Italy are extremely valuable in terms of forming a united front against the common challenges faced by healthcare workers on a global scale.”

During the discussions, Mr. Sert provided comprehensive information about Öz Sağlık-İş’s organisational strength throughout Türkiye, the gains achieved under the Public Sector Collective Bargaining Framework Protocol (Kamu Çerçeve Protokolü – KÇP), and the union’s efforts to advance the rights and interests of health and social services workers and improve their working conditions.

Ms. Rita Longobardi, National General Secretary of UIL FPL, drew attention to the challenges facing the healthcare sector in Italy, high levels of burnout among healthcare workers, and key wage-related issues. Ms. Longobardi also expressed her appreciation for the efforts of Öz Sağlık-İş to improve the rights and working conditions of health and social services workers in Türkiye.

During the meeting, the two unions also agreed to strengthen cooperation by developing joint projects, facilitating the exchange of sector-specific expertise, and reinforcing international trade union solidarity.

MR. SERT DISCUSSED GLOBAL UNION ISSUES WITH THE UIL EXECUTIVES

As part of his working visit to Italy, Mr. Sert also visited UIL’s headquarters, where he met with Mr. Massimo Di Pietro, Head of the UIL International Relations Unit, President of the Union of Italians Worldwide (UIM), and a member of the Executive Committee of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).

During the meeting, the participants discussed the long-standing relations between the HAK-İŞ and UIL trade union confederations, as well as current trade union issues, including international trade union policies pursued within the framework of the ETUC, global labour mobility, and the rights of migrant workers.