From this Monday, February 12, various protest actions by liberal nurses are organized throughout the territory.
In Nice this Monday, February 12, liberal nurses gathered to express their weariness in the face of the lack of consideration suffered by their profession. In the Nice area, nurses organized a snail operation from Avenue du Roi-Robert-Comte-de-Provence to the Cadam roundabout. Same situation in Dijon and its surroundings where liberal nurses gathered at 7 a.m. The profession is also mobilizing in Marseille, Gap, Bayonne and Bordeaux.
All these mobilizations respond to the call launched by the Collective of Liberal Nurses on X this Sunday, February 11. The nurses are protesting against the lack of revaluation of their profession which according to them has been completely forgotten by the government. All denounce a discrepancy between the difficulty of working conditions and salaries. On France Info this Monday morning, the president of the collective, Gaëlle Cannat, declared that a revaluation of actions has not taken place “for fifteen years”. And added: “With the inflation we have had for fifteen years, I let you imagine what state we are in financially.”
Ms. Cannat also added that the profession faces “an hourly rate which is very low since we work 50 hours per week”. A statement which confirms the testimony of Anne-Gaëlle Kramer, a liberal nurse near Dijon and also a member of the angry nurses collective. Asked by France Blue Burgundy this Monday, February 12, she said that “we see between 30 and 50, even 60 patients per day and our days drag on until 8 p.m.”.
In addition to the upgrading of the medical procedures they perform, nurses are also asking for better coverage of travel costs. As Ms. Kramer explains on France Bleu: “Our car is our office.” She explains that “Since 2009, the date of the last revaluation, gasoline has increased by 85%, Our fixed travel allowances have increased by 8.7%”. The profession also demands recognition of the arduousness of the profession with retirement possible from the age of 60 and full retirement from the age of 62. For the moment, the retirement age of liberal nurses is set at 67 years, as recalled France 3.
To try to respond to these issues, Gaëlle Cannat indicated on France Info that “we tried, throughout last year, to meet all elected officials to raise awareness of the difficulties of our profession. In fact, we did not came to nothing. When we saw that the farmers were taking to the streets, we said to ourselves, we’re going to show ourselves. We’re going to show that our profession is suffering.” The president of the liberal nurses collective also recalled that the profession did not benefit from any upgrade after maintaining its activity during the Covid-19 pandemic. Ms. Cannat also warned of the increasing closure of nursing offices and feared that “nursing deserts” would appear in the coming years. Indeed, she assured France Info that “58% of practices will close within five years”.
Other mobilizations of the profession should take place on Tuesday February 13, as in Strasbourg. The collective of angry liberal nurses calls on all liberal nurses to mobilize throughout France this Saturday, February 17. On X, the collective announces toll blockages and towing operations.