The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
Health / Social Work Human Health Services And Activities Human Health Activities 86 - Human health activities
734 jobs Number of planned job losses
Announcement Date
28 August 2006
Employment effect (start)
31 October 2006
Foreseen end date
Description
The Hungarian National Ambulance and Emergency Service (Országos Mentőszolgálat, OMSZ) is facing a major restructuring, which is expected to affect 734 employees. Apart from providing rescue and emergency services, OMSZ is also the main provider of patient transport service all over the country (besides the 42 private patient transport providers), which constituted more than half of the 2.3 million transportations last year. The newly appointed Minister of Health, Lajos Molnár, announced on 28 July that 10% of the workforce at OMSZ would be immediately dismissed. He claimed that outsourcing of the patient transport service was imminent in order to operate OMSZ efficiently and focus only on its core tasks, i.e. rescue and emergency care. In response to the announcement, Zoltán Takács, Chief Ambulance Officer, resigned. Although in principle he agreed with the need for restructuring the ambulance service, he claimed that the Minister's decision was made hastily and without proper preparation and also without the involvement of those concerned. As a result of Takács's resignation and pressure from trade unions, the Minister postponed the dismissals and started negotiations with key players in the restructuring of the ambulance service and the separation of emergency medical care and patient transport services. The timeline and the concept of the restructuring are expected to be worked out until 31 October 2006, through consultation with the organisations involved. However, approximately 150 employees will be dismissed as of 1 September, most of whom continued working after retirement. The acting Chief Ambulance Officer, appointed by the Minister, announced the composition of the group to be laid off: 341 of them are car drivers, 341 are paramedics, 46 are working in administrative-technological units, and 6 of them are emergency medical technicians. By mid-October 150 employees have been laid off, 110 of whom worked on the board of the ambulance cars. They will be hired by private patient transport providers. Among other dismissed employees there are people close to retirement age or are working as pensioners, and administrative employees as well. Thirty-nine ambulance cars providing patient transportation service have been transferred to private patient transport providers.
Sources
10 October 2006: Népszabadság
7 August 2006: Népszabadság
1 August 2006: Népszabadság
3 August 2006: Magyar Nemzet
Citation
Eurofound (2006), Országos Mentőszolgálat, Outsourcing in Hungary, factsheet number 63935, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/63935.
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