Opposition MPs have sharply attacked a proposal for a patient safety law aimed at easting the impact of a threatened mass resignation by nurses affiliated with Union of Health and Social Care Professionals, Tehy. In debate extending into the evening on Monday, representatives of the Social Democratic Party said that the bill, which would allow regional authorities to order qualified nurses to work under certain conditions, would not secure patient safety. The government has also admitted that the law will not solve the problems of Finnish health care. Parliamentary committees worked long into Sunday night on a bill that no one is eager to enforce, should it become a law. Deliberations on Sunday evening concerned the reach of the so-called Tehy bill, and the type of majority of votes that would be needed for the bill to be written into law. Parliament's Constitutional Law Committee reached the conclusion that the Tehy bill can be enacted in the regular way, meaning that it would not require the hefty five-sixths majority of votes that bills regarding the constitution usually need. The committee also clarified the government's proposal on several important fronts; for example in terms of nursing tasks that a nurse can be compelled to do. Individual vs. Societal Rights
Under the initial government proposal, health care professionals outside of the industrial action could have been ordered to work.
However, the committee did not want to go this far. Constitutional law professor Veli-Pekka Viljanen also believes this would have been too difficult, as it boils down to the issue of restricting individual rights.
Today the discussions on the Tehy law begin in Parliament. By Friday, President Halonen will ratify the bill, should the nurses' dispute still be without resolve.
Under existing law, nurses are required to maintain a minimum level of staff during an ordinary strike. Instead of a traditional strike, Tehy has announced a mass resignation of more than 12,000 nurses employed by Finnish local authorities as of November 19th to back demands for significant pay increases.
Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen defended the government's proposal that would oblige a certain number of qualified nursing staff to treat patients even if a labour dispute is going on. In a radio interview on YLE on Sunday, Vanhanen noted that it is the duty of society to protect human life in all situations.
He compared the bill with legislation that allows fire brigades to order passers-by to assist in putting out forest fires.
Meanwhile, Tehy believes the patient safety bill makes dispute resolution even more difficult. Minna Helle of Tehy told YLE Radio, that rather than bring a resolution to the dispute, the bill impedes the negotiations as the proposal lessens employers' willingness to find a quick resolution to the dispute.