Posted19 July 2022, 06:05
GenevaA conflict with their boss brings employees to their knees
HUG employees denounce the deleterious climate that reigns in their department. They castigate the inaction, according to them, of the management of the hospital.
Geneva University Hospitals (HUG).
TDG
“To you, the unfortunate one who has to take… the others to have a semblance of existence (…), you are not even worth the sheet that I spend”. These writings – embellished on an entire page with insulting and humiliating remarks, including spelling mistakes – are the work of the head of a technical department of the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG). He posted them in full view of everyone, in the employees’ locker room.
“General Malfunction”
This is just one of the episodes of the conflict that has lasted for two years between the collaborators of the unit and their leader. Recently, 12 of the 17 employees petitioned hospital management to intervene. “We are not trying to crucify anyone, specifies Sabine Furrer, of Avenir Syndical, mandated by the staff. We denounce a general dysfunction of the institution, whose hierarchy alerted on several occasions does not intervene and does not supervise its collaborators. The affair of the letter displayed within the service was the subject of a conciliation and its author apologized.
Anxiety and pressure
Still, the employees “at the end” evoke “suffering” within a unit where reigns a “strong tension” since the appointment of this manager “without humanity, aggressive, who intrigues and believes himself to be all-powerful”. In burnout, Yan* thus assures that his boss “has proposed to my colleagues to make a petition against me because he considers that I am not really sick, that I do medical tourism and lead the good life”.
Employees confirm and assure that there have been other work stoppages linked to the deleterious climate of the service. Michel* says “anxious to go to work”. Luc* engages: “We don’t feel protected by the hierarchy”. For Yves Mugny, union secretary, “the tensions are so high that it is frightening. We don’t know how far this can lead and the HUG let it happen. Is it to put pressure on the staff?
management responds
For its part, the hospital ensures that it takes all the complaints of its employees seriously: “We do not tolerate any discriminatory act of any kind whatsoever within the institution and take the necessary sanctions in the event of violation of the professional duties.” The HUG specify, however, that they “never comment on individual situations”.