Publié le 9 juin 2013 | par Comité STAT
Looking for healthcare workers who wish to become part of the next issue of ‘Condition Critique’
Pour lire la version française.
Two years after the publication of “Condition Critique“, the STAT committee has decided to begin the project of a second edition. To do this, we are seeking healthcare workers from all jobs and trades that would be interested in participating in the production of this newspaper.
Why talk about the workplace outside of work?
Sometimes we think we can escape when we leave work, as if the stress and the fatigue of work didn’t weigh down every aspect of our lives, our moods, our relationships… As if it wasn’t getting worse, with yet another round of budget cuts and “optimizations”.
We see cynicism every day in our workplaces, and we feel it acutely in ourselves. Fighting for better working conditions outside of our work week is hard and tiresome. But what we experience in STAT is what we would like our work to be like: colleagues who talk openly with each other, that work together as equals, that support each other. When disagreements occur, they bring about new ways of doing things and a renewed mutual respect.
We reject both silent self-destruction and sterile criticism and prefer organizing politically. This rage that we feel still has the potential to bring life into this world of sickness and death, where patients and workers are just pieces that pass by and disappear in an assembly line.
“I have nothing to say”
Oh no? Why not? Because you are too tired, overworked? That is a perfect subject for an article. In our first paper, quite a few people wrote about their day to day reality, or their frustrations. What might seem commonplace isn’t: on the contrary, these stories are reflections of the reality and daily lives of thousands of healthcare workers. From experiences of workplace reorganizations, reality on the wards and in the institutions, thoughts about health, examples of actions, or simply to state out loud our refusal that things continue the way they are, there is a lot to say. Spreading these stories breaks our isolation, which could lead us to see ways of changing things.
“I don’t know how to write”
No, we don’t all know how to write well. And writing, even when we know the proper techniques, is always hard work. Finding ideas deep in ourselves and exposing them is not easy. STAT has achieved a certain level of quality in its writings and it is not because we rely on the better writers in our group, but because we help each other out and work on texts collectively as much as possible. Each one of us has grown from this experience, in the quality of our writing and in our self-assurance.
The next issue of Condition Critique
Our first issue, published in October 2011 and distributed at 5000 copies, let healthcare workers express themselves, share and take charge of the project from A to Z, from writing to distribution. There is a will in our collective to recognize and transcend the divisions that are created by workplace organization and the hierarchies between trades.
The texts of the next issue will articulate themselves around two poles: our working conditions and the upcoming public sector negotiations that will begin next year. What are our aspirations and hopes for these negotiations? Are we afraid of losing what we have or do we think we can snatch improvements in our working conditions? If so, how? What are the strengths and limitations of union activism today? How do we put forth something other than the economy? How do we go about building a real balance of power?
So, will you join us?
The forms of expression and contributions are varied: article, poetry, column, drawings, caricature, corrections, etc. Meetings will be organized to plan for the writing of the paper. The guidelines for texts, the deadlines and technical details will then be discussed. Please don’t hesitate to write to us if you have any questions.
The deadline to let us know if you are interested is june 16th. Contact us at comitestat@gmail.com
The STAT committee
Articles reliés
Best of luck to… →
C’est quoi un bon gestionnaire? →
Entretien avec une infirmière de l’agence →
