Labour group joins opposition against extra hours for nurses

PETALING JAYA: A workers’ group has joined in the calls for nurses’ 42-hour workweek to be maintained instead of raising it to 45 hours.

The Labour Solidarity and Learning Resources Association (LLRC) said the new directive effective Dec 1, which will affect about 77,000 nurses, contradicts global labour trends that advocate reducing their workweek to 40 hours.

Its secretary-general, N Gopal Kishnam, also cited a 2010 study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, which found that shift workers were 30% more likely to suffer mental health issues such as depression.

“Alarmingly, women working shifts are 70% more likely to suffer from depression compared to women with regular working hours,” he said in a statement, pointing out that women made up the majority of nurses.

“This highlights the urgent need to ensure the work hours of nurses are not extended further but instead reduced.”

Gopal said reducing the work hours for nurses in public hospitals was necessary to safeguard their wellbeing and would also help improve the quality of public health services.

The Malayan Nurses Union and a senator had also raised concerns over the new directive increasing working hours for ward nurses, while Umno Youth had said it would submit a formal letter of protest to the government.

The directive affects all civil servants on shift duties, including ward nurses and security personnel.

Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy had also opposed the increase in work hours, saying the nursing sector was already overburdened by shortages and demanding shift schedules.