Israel’s nurses threaten strike over severe staff shortages

Israel’s Nurses Union declared a labor dispute on Thursday, citing what it described as unbearable workloads and a severe shortage of nurses. The move would allow some 60,000 nurses in hospitals, health maintenance organizations and public health services to strike in about two weeks. “For more than a year, we have been warning the Health and Finance ministries about the unbearable burdens placed on the shoulders of nurses, and we have been met with complete disregard,” said Nurses Union chairman Shaul Skeef. “We expected that after three years of the coronavirus pandemic and three years of war, the state would know how to provide them with the resources needed to care for Israel’s citizens, but apparently we were wrong,” he said.