The hospital administration’s decision to uphold a circular prohibiting flexible holiday scheduling has been met with criticism from the nursing union, despite numerous meetings and attempts to amend the document, the union stated in a communication.
In response to the accusations by SINDEPOR, the board of directors at ULS/Algarve acknowledged in a written statement that it would be reassessing the circular 5/2025 concerning holiday scheduling.
Fernando Fernandes, the vice-president of the union, highlighted that nurses have consistently ensured the functionality of services, even during strike days. He criticized the administration’s apparent need to keep services operational at the expense of the staff’s labor rights.
The union also raised concerns about the performance evaluation process (SIADAP), citing a six-month delay in its implementation. This delay, they argue, compromises fairness, disadvantaging nurses in the unit compared to their peers in other regions.
“It is nearly the end of May, and the objectives, which should have been clear at the beginning of the year, are still undefined. Achieving twelve-month targets in six months, especially with reduced teams during holiday periods, is impossible,” Fernando Fernandes warned.
The union leader accused the ULS Algarve administration of inefficiency and of deliberately undermining the region’s professionals.
“This approach does not seem conducive to attracting healthcare professionals to work in the Algarve. As if the high cost of living weren’t enough, they are further disadvantaged in evaluations,” lamented the union representative.
In their reply, the ULS/Algarve board stated that the evaluation criteria are available on the Intranet for all professionals. They added that training has already been provided to evaluators, and the performance evaluation process is underway to ensure regular assessments.
SINDEPOR concluded that “not all news is bad,” welcoming the payment of retroactive salaries and wage updates to professionals as of November 2024, in line with the commitments made by the board of directors.
