“APHP is available to continue working with union structures representing the private hospitalization sector, aiming to promote dignified working conditions, enhance human resources, and continually improve healthcare services,” stated an official source today.
On Friday, the Union of Workers in Hospitality, Tourism, Restaurants, and Similar Sectors of the North (STIHTRSN) accused CUF and the Portuguese Association of Private Hospitalization of enforcing 12-hour workdays, while CUF maintained compliance with the law.
Union leader Vânia Cardoso further alleged that the employer association [Associação Portuguesa da Hospitalização Privada, APHP] reached an agreement with UGT, which she claims strips workers of various rights.
The union representative cited a “cut in shift allowance, holiday pay, career progression, and insurance supplement, among others,” and criticized the establishment of a “time bank and schedule adaptability up to 12 consecutive hours of work.”
“In 48 hours, they can make employees work without their consent,” she remarked after several protests across private hospitals in Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia in recent weeks.
The issues affect cleaning staff, medical action assistants, or receptionists, according to the union leader.
The APHP responded, noting that it signed a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CCT) in June with the Service Sector Workers Union (SITESE) and the Union of Senior Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technicians (SINDITE), both affiliated with the General Union of Workers (UGT). This agreement purportedly offers an average salary increase of 75 euros for 9,500 workers across 90 private hospitalization companies.
“This new collective regulatory instrument reflects the continuous commitment of APHP towards valuing healthcare professionals and maintaining stable labor relations in the private hospitalization sector,” stated an official source from the employer association.
APHP emphasized that the negotiation process took place in a climate of constructive dialogue and institutional responsibility, resulting in an agreement that balances workers’ legitimate interests with the sustainability of private healthcare providers.
The STIHTRSN, part of the Federation of Agricultural, Food, Beverage, Hospitality, and Tourism Workers of Portugal (FESAHT), affiliated with CGTP-IN, stated that the current private hospital collective agreement has existed since 1975, with all revisions negotiated and signed by FESAHT/CGTP-IN. They claimed that “UGT unions have no representation in the sector.”
The union highlighted that “the private hospitalization sector is in an excellent economic position, with 10.7 million consultations, an increase of 10% from 2023, 1.5 million emergencies, a 5% increase in births, 15,092 deliveries, a 15% increase in exams, a 12% increase in X-rays, and an 11.6% increase in revenue in 2024 compared to 2023, totaling 2.5 billion euros.”
