Sunne municipality in Värmland wants to outsource the personal assistance to private contractors.
– It would be a disaster, says paralyzed Jonathan Eriksson Thorell, who after a diving accident is paralyzed and dependent on personal assistance around the clock.
Privatizing personal assistance came up as a proposal in Sunne municipality with the new 24-hour rest directive. From October 1, at least 11 hours of continuous 24-hour rest applies to municipal and regional employees, which, according to the municipality, means that they can no longer get their staffing together. But according to Jonathan, it will mean that he loses his assistants, who do not want to move with him to a private actor.
Has attracted criticism
The municipality’s proposal has attracted strong criticism, including from user associations. Actually, the municipal board was supposed to make a decision already during the September meeting, but the matter was postponed, at least until the next meeting.
– We are competing for the same personnel as the private sector and we see that the newly trained go there. They have cutting-edge expertise that we don’t have, says Åsa Waldenström (m), chairman of the social committee in Sunne.
According to her, the fact that the decision was postponed is due to the criticism that has come.
– We take it back and redo it now, she says.
Become like family members
Jonathan Eriksson Thorell was a professional soldier and very physically active when, aged 23, he broke his neck in a diving accident and became paralyzed. Five years have passed since then and Jonathan is dependent on 24/7 personal assistance. 4 people work full time with him and he is now worried about having to let completely new people into his home who need to be trained.
– You get very close to each other, he says. They know me and my body better than I do myself.
Not prepared to take a pay cut
Jonathan’s assistants are not at all prepared to change employers to a private actor.
– It feels very insecure because there are worse collective agreements and usually worse wages, says the assistant Frida Larsson. It is often an hourly wage instead of a monthly wage. After all, we have houses and children and rising interest rates. We are not prepared to receive lower wages. How are we going to cope then? she says.