Healthcare union chair welcomes coalition agreement on sector demands

The chair of the Faroese Healthcare Workers’ Union has welcomed the inclusion of several key union demands in the new coalition agreement between the People’s Party, Union Party, and Social Democratic Party, Kringvarp Føroya reports.

Mary Antonsdóttir, who leads the union, expressed satisfaction that many of the organisation’s pre-election priorities have been adopted in the policy document. Among the agreed measures is a commitment to improve working conditions in healthcare and social services to attract more staff to the sector.

The coalition agreement also revives discussions on reducing the standard workweek—a proposal that appeared in the previous government’s platform but saw little progress. Antonsdóttir emphasised the urgent need for change, citing severe staffing shortages across healthcare and social services.

Additionally, the agreement calls for strengthened tripartite cooperation between employers, unions, and government authorities to address sector challenges.

However, not all union demands were met. Antonsdóttir criticised plans to introduce legal provisions allowing authorities to intervene in strikes if they threaten “life and health,” arguing that such measures undermine workers’ rights.

The Healthcare Workers’ Union represents staff in Faroese hospitals, elderly care, and social services, where recruitment and retention have become pressing issues in recent years.