Nov 27 (Japan Times) - Over 40 percent of medical institutions in Japan lowered their year-end bonuses for nurses and other staff members due to the effects of the pandemic, a survey by the Japan Federation of Medical Worker’s Unions has shown.
That figure compares to over 30% for summer bonuses, according to the organization made up of some 170,000 people working at hospitals and clinics throughout the country.
“The situation is clearly deteriorating,†said Susumu Morita, general secretary of the federation.
The bonus cuts are mainly due to patients avoiding regular visits to the doctor or refusing to be hospitalized out of fear of catching the coronavirus, according to the federation.
Earlier this month, it asked labor unions at medical institutions throughout the country to take part in the survey. It received answers from 298 unions by Wednesday.
