Solicitud directa (CEACR) - Adopción: 2009, Publicación: 99ª reunión CIT (2010)

Convenio sobre el personal de enfermería, 1977 (núm. 149) - Noruega (Ratificación : 1989)

Article 2 of the Convention. National policy concerning nursing services and nursing personnel. Further to its previous comment, the Committee understands that the National Health Plan 2007–10 suggests a series of policy measures in partnership with county and municipal authorities with a view to improving the training and continued education, distribution, recruitment and working environment of health-care personnel. In particular, the Committee notes activities such as the “Aksjon Helsefagarbeider” project initiated in 2006, or the “recruitment patrols” initiative started in 2007, with a view to attracting young people to become health-care workers and ensuring that the communities, hospitals and private institutions offer sufficient numbers of places of apprenticeship. It also understands that, as a result of these programmes, the number of young persons who indicated their interest in starting health-care education rose by 7 per cent in 2009. The Committee requests the Government to provide in its next report full particulars concerning these campaigns and the results obtained.

In addition, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that nursing-care programmes are administered at the municipality (for primary health and care services) and the individual hospital and clinic (for specialist health services) levels. In this connection, it understands that the National Health Plan provides for policies and programmes to achieve even distribution of the nursing personnel for these services at different geographical locations and to improve skills and competencies of these workers, but it does not specifically provide for other conditions of service of the nursing personnel. While noting the Government’s indication that the Government does not intervene in the negotiations between the social partners concerning specific conditions of employment, it understands that the National Health Plan 2007–10 was developed and adopted through broad consultations with various bodies including professional organizations. In particular, it understands that the National Health Plan contains an action plan referred to as “Competence Lift 2015”, which aims at increasing the number of health professionals, promoting their continuous education, improving management, providing better working environment and reducing involuntary part-time work. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would elaborate on the implementation of the “Competence Lift 2015” action plan or any other similar programme seeking to improve the quantity and quality of nursing services.

Moreover, the Committee notes the Government’s statement that at present there is no shortage of nurses and that, according to data from Statistics Norway, the employment of nurses is nearly 90 per cent. Available data also indicate that the total number of nurses stands at approximately 70,500 persons and there are no reports about nurses prematurely leaving the profession. The Committee notes, however, that according to an OECD study “Tackling nurse shortages in OECD countries”, published in 2005, there is an estimated shortage of 3,300 nurses in Norway representing 5.4 per cent of practising nurses, and Norway regulates international recruitment of nurses through government-to-government agreements having assigned responsibility for attracting a limited number of foreign nurses to a single government agency. The Committee would appreciate receiving additional explanations in this respect. In this connection, the Committee also notes the Government’s indication that two working groups have been established to analyse future challenges and needs in terms of the health-care workforce, including nurses, and that the reports from these working groups would be delivered in January 2009. The Committee requests the Government to provide more detailed information on the findings and recommendations of the working groups, with special reference to nursing personnel.

Article 5, paragraphs 2 and 3. Settlement of disputes. The Committee understands that the health-care sector has been particularly affected by industrial action over the past few years, initially over pay issues but also in relation to the revision of the Working Environment Act. The Committee also understands that an expert committee was established in November 2007 to examine certain aspects of the organization of working time, such as shift and rotation work, which may have important consequences for female-dominated groups in the health and social care sector. Recalling that the Convention requires that the settlement of disputes arising in connection with the determination of working conditions of nursing personnel should be sought through negotiations or through mediation, conciliation and voluntary arbitration with a view to making it unnecessary for the workers’ organizations to have recourse to other disruptive forms of protest action, the Committee requests the Government to provide an updated account of the industrial relations situation in the nursing sector and the measures taken or envisaged for the settlement of any outstanding disputes.

Article 7. Occupational safety and health of nursing personnel. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that no new measures have been taken in order to adapt existing laws and regulations on occupational safety and health to the special nature of nursing work, as provided for in this Article of the Convention. In this connection, the Committee draws the Government’s attention to the Joint ILO/WHO guidelines on health services and HIV/AIDS, published in 2005, with a view to assisting health services in building their capacities to provide their workers with a safe, healthy and decent working environment as the most effective way both to reduce transmission of HIV and to improve the delivery of care to patients. The Committee wishes also to refer to the International Labour Conference discussion held in June 2009 on “HIV/AIDS and the world of work” with a view to adopting an international labour Recommendation, and in particular to paragraph 37 of the proposed conclusions (see ILC, 98th Session, 2009, Report IV(2), page 310) which provides that public health systems should be strengthened, where appropriate, in order to ensure greater access to prevention, treatment, care and support, and to reduce the additional strain on public services, particularly on health workers, caused by HIV/AIDS. The Committee requests the Government to keep the Office informed of any measures that might be taken or envisaged with a view to further reinforcing the protection of nursing personnel against infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS.

Part V of the report form. Application in practice. The Committee notes the statistical information provided by the Government concerning the nursing workforce. It would be grateful if the Government would continue supplying up to date information concerning the application of the Convention in practice, including, in particular, the number of students currently enrolled in nursing schools, the nurse-to-population ratio, copies of official reports or studies analysing the situation in the nursing-care sector, etc.