Be like Nina at the Solidaires Trade Union Congress (France)

On the occasion of its national congress, which was held from April 22 to 25, 2024 in Labège (31), the Solidaires trade union welcomed several international delegations. As soon as the congress opened, two of them were given the floor: the one from Ukraine and the one from Palestine. From Ukraine, Yulia Lipich Kochirka and Oksana Slobodyana, representatives of the Lviv Regional Union of Medical Personnel and Be Like Nina, were present. They were able to address some 400 Solidarity unionists present . This invitation followed the contacts maintained since April 2022, through the three convoys of the International Union Network of Solidarity and Struggles, video exchanges, links through the European Solidarity Network with Ukraine, solidarity collections, sending of materials, presence at the 5th meeting of the International Union Network of Solidarity and Struggles last September in Sao Paulo, etc. Here we take up the information provided by the two activists, who also spoke informally with the delegates to the congress.

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The war in Ukraine has been going on for more than two years. Medical personnel play an important role, particularly on the front line and in frontline towns. Many members of Be like Nina are currently in the war zone. At the risk of their lives, they save those of soldiers and civilians.

We have published a document on activities which is at your disposal, but today I will tell you briefly about some of our colleagues who consciously changed their white coat for a military uniform . Their direct testimony is important.

Olena Lyasheva, a Be Like Nina activist, does not have a medical degree, but after a grueling and prolonged struggle she was forced to become a nurse during the war. “ The situation on the front line is such that no hand will be superfluous. I have been an activist all my adult life and the decision to join the army was the logical continuation of my journey as an activist. If we want to live in a just society, we must now protect it from the occupiers. My choice of specialty was largely influenced by communication with Be like Nina. These incredible women are fighting for social and labor rights at home and in the military. And it's no coincidence that it's nurses who are in trouble in Ukraine. Because the struggle is about care, protection and mutual assistance. I always felt solidarity with them, and now I myself am in the process of becoming a medical worker, although, unfortunately, under an accelerated procedure in war conditions,” Olena wrote to us.

Maria Koroleva is only 26 years old. She is also a combat nurse on the front lines. While she had not at all considered linking her life to medicine, she changed her mind because of the war. “ At the front, we realize that we have to live here and now, because everything can change radically in a second. We admitted a young man with three amputations, burns to his face and both eyes - zero percent chance of having his sight restored. Before the war he was a successful young man with good prospects. In these moments, we begin to appreciate life, every minute. On the front line, medical staff quickly become exhausted; they cannot cope psychologically. But we are not allowed to focus on our personal experiences, especially in wartime,” Maria told us.

Oleh Horoshenko almost died in the combat zone. “Four times during the war I thought I was going to die. Surprisingly, this doesn't scare you. You feel it calmly: regrets, plans, life, but without horror. In Irpin they started shooting us with phosphorus. I was lying there and realized that all of us - eight people - were going to burn alive. It was painful. But the wind saved us because it swept away the flames. I was injured in the Kharkiv sector. We were bombarded by artillery. Shrapnel hit my arm. Jumping out of the truck damaged the ligaments in my knee. I didn't notice my injury at first, I ran to save the lives of my comrades. We had four dead and twelve injured. In combat conditions, it is very difficult to find the wounded. Among the dead, I saw a living fighter. He had been shot in the leg. They put a tourniquet and bandage on him, put him in a minibus and took him to the hospital. A few hours later, my injured leg swelled and I could no longer walk. I needed medical help myself,” Oleh recalls.

People in the healthcare sector are of the people heroic . Despite their down wages And their heavy charge of work, when there war has started, they did not​​ not fled has the stranger​ Or born se are not hidden, but have coated the uniform​ military . Of the hundreds of them and they have Already summer killed on THE field of battle . That n / A not stop their colleagues of continue has save of the lives .

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Be Like Nina is an organization created in 2019 by healthcare workers. There was no equivalent in Ukraine until then. Since then, the association has protected the rights of healthcare workers, fighting for decent wages and good working conditions. When problems cannot be resolved peacefully, we organize protests (currently, under martial law, they are prohibited). The main task of our organization is to improve the working conditions and training of workers in the medical sector. To this end, we use all methods, in compliance with the law.

The name “Be Like Nina Medical Movement” comes from the name of the initiator of the first nurses’ protest, Nina Bondar. Working in a hospital in Kyiv, Nina decided one evening to describe her dissatisfaction with her working conditions, her salary and the bosses' attitude towards nurses. She published this message - a cry from the heart - on Facebook. Overnight, it received more than 20,000 views. Since then, health professionals have united to defend their professional rights together. Like Nina, everyone wants to stop ignoring all the violations they face in their workplace.

Since then, we have grown into a (Facebook) community of 85,000 people. Our organization was created without any state or political party support. We promote the creation of unions throughout Ukraine. We organized the first protests in several cities during the winter of 2019. We demanded higher wages for healthcare workers, increased healthcare spending in general, and that our voices, the voices of health care workers, be heard in any health care reform in Ukraine. We repeated these protests in 2020 and 2021 and made progress. Thus, we managed to reinstate illegally dismissed nurses and have salary arrears paid in several establishments.

Before the war, health care counter-reform began in Ukraine. Since then, many medical establishments have closed, hospitals have been “optimized” and merged. This has a significant impact on healthcare workers, who lose their jobs. This process did not stop during the war. On the contrary, the situation has worsened considerably: many medical establishments have been closed following bombings and artillery fire. Loss of jobs, occupation of territory by Russian troops, large-scale migration and layoffs are not the only problems we face today. The savings made by local authorities on financial support for the right to health, on the salaries of nurses and other medical personnel, lead to the impoverishment of the population whose rights we protect.

The full-scale war that started on February 24, 2022 has caused even more problems, not only for healthcare workers, but for all Ukrainians in general. Tens of thousands of people died. Millions of people were forced to flee to neighboring countries and more than 6 million Ukrainians were displaced within the country. Towns and villages were destroyed. Our hospitals and energy facilities have been targeted by the enemy.

We realized that we could not cope with this situation without the help of international partners. This is why we have agreed with our German partners at Medico International on a joint project to help Ukrainians affected by the war. Thanks to this cooperation, we were able to temporarily accommodate 45 families with young children and retired parents. 452 families in very difficult situations received food and hygiene products. We are also able to provide psychological and legal support. It is also very important to provide assistance with medical treatment. Indeed, some people have lost all hope of recovery. Thanks to our project, they have improved their health and are able to work and live their lives fully again. Unfortunately, this project ended on December 31, 2023. That is why we are actively looking for international organizations with which we could cooperate and continue to help doctors, nurses, and Ukrainians in general.

We are waiting for the end of the war and want to move closer to victory by all means and methods. We are convinced that we will succeed in rebuilding Ukraine, where trade union rights are respected in all sectors and where employees will receive decent salaries and have satisfactory working conditions. It won't be easy. But you saw our strength and our commitment during the war.