“Decent work – decent care”: LevFem launches a national campaign for reform in the care sectors

The left-wing feminist organization LevFem announces the beginning of the national campaign "Decent work - decent care", the aim of which is to put the topic of work in the care sectors at the center of the public and political agenda in Bulgaria.

The initiative is based on the understanding that care - in hospitals, social services, children's and educational institutions, as well as at home - is critical infrastructure of every society, but often remains invisible, low-paid and entirely feminized.

Campaign starting with a petition and public events

Within the framework of "Decent work - decent care", LevFem launches a national petition “Decent care – decent work”, which formulates key demands for systemic changes in the care sectors and invites citizens, professional communities and organizations to join as official supporters.

The campaign envisages information meetings, public discussions, participation in local and national events, as well as a series of mobilizations - marches, demonstrations and symbolic actions - with a focus on care being recognized as a public priority, and not as a private problem of individual families.

The organization emphasizes that the initiative is open to both workers in healthcare, social services and education, as well as informal caregivers - mainly women, who take on the "second shift" at home and compensate for the deficits of public systems.

Crisis in the care sector: low pay, staff shortages, burnout

According to LevFem, the care sectors in our country - healthcare, social services and education - are in a deepening crisis, marked by chronic staff shortages, low pay, difficult working conditions and high levels of professional burnout.

As a result, many female workers are forced to combine several jobs, take care of a disproportionately large number of people and work overtime, which directly affects both their health and the quality and accessibility of services for patients, children and the elderly.

The campaign also draws attention to the fact that these are highly feminized professions - nurses, orderlies, social workers, educators, teachers, home helpers - whose work is traditionally underestimated and perceived as "natural female care", and not as qualified and socially significant work.

Main demands: decent wages, clear standards and care for caregivers

Among the main demands of "Decent work - decent care" is the increase in remuneration in the care professions and their connection with the real weight and social significance of the work performed by these workers.

The campaign insists on the introduction of clear standards for the ratio between the number of employees and the number of people who receive care - both in hospitals and social services, as well as in kindergartens, schools and homes for the elderly - in order to ensure safe and quality care for everyone.

LevFem also emphasizes the need for systematic support for the caregivers themselves - through free training, regular professional supervision, access to psychological assistance, adequate equipment and auxiliary means, as well as policies for the prevention of violence, discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace.

Fair financing and criticism of commercialization

The campaign puts the issue of sustainable and fair financing of care on a broader scale, including through tax reform with progressive income taxation, a tax on excess profits in certain industries and a tax on the wealth of the richest, so that the funds collected are directed as a priority to the care sectors.

According to LevFem, neither the accessibility nor the quality of care can be guaranteed without a stable public resource, and the application of purely market logic in hospitals, schools and social homes replaces the public interest with profit and leads to unequal access, hidden payments and systemic abuses.

The organization is against the increasing privatization and commercialization of care and insists on the strengthening of public systems, which should be democratically managed, with the participation of workers, users and local communities.

Technologies, artificial intelligence and protection of rights

In its position, LevFem also draws attention to the introduction of new technologies and artificial intelligence in the care sectors, emphasizing that they should not be used for additional intensification of work and layoffs, but in support of workers and for the benefit of people who receive care.

The organization insists that the introduction of digital solutions should take place in compliance with strict ethical standards, a high level of personal data protection and with the active participation of professional communities, trade unions and civil organizations.

Thus, "Decent work - decent care" aims to connect modern technological changes with the fight for better working conditions, social justice and gender equality, instead of allowing the deepening of socio-economic inequalities.

Call for solidarity and participation

LevFem calls on citizens, workers, trade unions and professional organizations, as well as local initiatives to support the campaign "Decent work - decent care" by signing the petition, sharing information and participating in the upcoming events and mobilizations in different cities in the country.

"Care is not an expense, but a strategic investment in the sustainability of society," the organization emphasizes and insists on a public and political consensus that accessible and quality care is a right of every person and a basis for a more stable and just future.

One of the goals of the initiative is to connect the struggles of different groups - nurses, social workers, teachers, mothers, migrants and LGBTI+ people - in a common front against poverty, violence and exploitation, by putting care at the center of political decisions, and not in the periphery.

Contacts and additional information

Organizations and collectives that wish to be included as official supporters of the "Decent work - decent care" campaign and to see their logo published on the specialized page of the initiative can contact LevFem by email and declare their participation.

If you want to learn more about the campaign, receive materials for distribution or discuss possible joint actions, you can request participation in information online meetings, described in the invitation to the petition, as well as follow the latest news and events on the website levfem.org and in the organization's profiles on social networks.