Healthcare workers are the guardians of society, and when they are on duty at night, they not only face a stressful work environment, but also physical and mental stress. In order to motivate them to work, hospitals usually pay them a certain amount of night shift pay. However, in recent years, some places have cancelled or reduced night shift fees for various reasons, causing strong dissatisfaction among medical staff.
What is the night shift fee? Why cancel?
Night shift pay refers to a subsidy that medical personnel receive in addition to their normal wages when they work at night. The purpose of night shift pay is to protect the health of medical staff, mobilize their enthusiasm and reflect the recognition of their work.
However, some localities believe that night shift pay is not supported by regulations, regard it as an illegal payment of allowances, and report criticism. In some places, night shift fees have even been abolished outright, or reduced to negligible amounts.
What is the impact of the abolition of night shift pay on healthcare workers?
In the past few years, controversy over the night shift pay of medical staff has arisen like an old meme. As early as 2015, some localities criticized the lack of legal support for night shift pay as an irregularity. Although the practice has not spread throughout the industry, the debate over night pay in the medical community has not subsided.
Some doctors reported that although the number of hospitals that abolished night shift pay was in the minority, the amount of night shift pay was becoming increasingly insignificant, causing dissatisfaction among many medical staff.
A doctor at a hospital in Sichuan said her 50 yuan night shift was cancelled a year ago and has not been paid since, leaving her feeling deteriorating in her treatment. She said: "When we work night shifts, we often have to deal with various complex conditions, as well as emergencies, which is very heavy and stressful. Without night pay, we feel like our efforts are not being recognized. ”
Similar situations have been reported by doctors in Jiangxi, Anhui, Heilongjiang and other places, even if the night shift pay has not been canceled for the time being, the amount of payment is very small, almost equivalent to cancellation.
Medical personnel generally oppose the abolition of night pay because they believe that they should be compensated for their hard work.
Is it reasonable to cancel the night shift fee?
Xu Yucai, an expert in medical reform, said that although night shift pay is a reasonable subsidy to some extent, the relevant regulations are relatively vague. In 2012, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection issued the "Interpretation of Several Issues Concerning the Application of the < Chinese Communist Party's Disciplinary Regulations on the Illegal Issuance of Allowances and Subsidies", which mentioned the payment of overtime pay and duty pay in violation of regulations.
Xu Yucai, an expert in medical reform, pointed out that although night shift pay is a reasonable subsidy to some extent, the relevant regulations are relatively vague. He believes that medical institutions are different from other fields, night shift and overtime have their own special characteristics in the medical field, and the state should clearly stipulate the expenses of night shift, overtime and other expenses, and include them in the income system of medical personnel to better reflect the recognition of their labor.
Similarly, Daniel Zhang lawyer, founder of Medical Law Hui's medical legal team, believes that there is no legal basis for abolishing night shift pay. The night shift allowance is set up to protect the health and motivation of employees, unlike the illegal payment of allowance subsidies.
According to the Labor Law of the People's Republic of China and the Labor Contract Law of the People's Republic of China, the employer shall pay overtime wages at a standard of not less than 150%, 200% or 300% of the wages during normal working hours. Therefore, medical staff on duty at night are considered overtime or extended working hours and should be compensated accordingly.
In addition, from a moral point of view, the abolition of night pay is disrespectful to the labor of medical workers. Healthcare workers on duty at night not only have to deal with emergency situations in a busy hospital environment, but also face the stress of long hours and the burden of their bodies.
They sacrifice their rest and family time to protect the lives and health of patients. If night shift pay is abolished, it is tantamount to denying their efforts and contributions, which is unfair and unjust to them.
How to resolve a dispute over night shift pay?
In order to resolve the dispute over night shift pay, the relevant state departments should more clearly define the night shift pay standards for medical personnel to ensure that their labor is reasonably rewarded. At the same time, hospitals should reasonably set night shift fee standards in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, and do not cancel or reduce night shift fees at will. In addition, hospitals should also take care of the health and psychological condition of medical staff and provide them with necessary protection and support.
In short, night shift pay is the voice of medical staff and an important system in the medical industry. We should respect and protect the labor rights and interests of medical workers, and give them due compensation and recognition. Only in this way can we stimulate the enthusiasm of medical staff, improve the quality of medical services, and promote the development of the medical industry.