The Democratic Union of Portuguese Nurses (Sindepor) announced today a strike for Friday, International Nurses Day, to demand the “immediate hiring” of professionals and the opening of negotiations for the definition and approval of a new career.
Sindepor’s president, Carlos Ramalho, said in a press release that “the strike covers the Azores and Madeira, just to give these colleagues the opportunity to solidarize with nurses from the mainland”, highlighting the “openness in negotiations” that has taken place in the two archipelagos, which “has already brought concrete results” for the nurses who work there.
About the reasons for the strike, Carlos Ramalho says that, “unfortunately, the current Government” does not give them any alternatives: “We even had to go on strike, on a day that should be a day to celebrate a professional class that is essential to the lives of citizens”.
The leader recalls the various attempts the union has made recently to resume negotiations with the Ministry of Health.
“On the other side is complete autism, which in the end is not that surprising, in a Government with many difficulties in solving its own problems. This way there can be no energy and capacity left to solve the many problems that affect nurses and nursing,” laments Carlos Ramalho.
Among the demands that led Sindepor to mark this strike, the following stand out: the immediate hiring of nurses with stable contracts in order to respect the safe endowments and giving institutions the autonomy to do so; the opening of competitions for the various categories of nurses and the conclusion of those that are underway, as well as the correct application of Decree Law 80-B/2022 with retroactive payment to 2018.
In addition, the opening of negotiations for the definition and approval of a new nursing career that values the profession, corrects inequalities, injustices and discriminations, compensates for the risk, rapid wear and tear and arduousness of the profession, provides specific conditions for access to retirement without penalties, the review of the salary scale and the progression times, and the reform of the current evaluation system (SIADAP) in order to adapt to the specific characteristics of the profession.
Today, the Portuguese Nurses Union (SEP) also announced a strike for the International Nurses Day accompanied by a sit-in in front of the Ministry of Health to demand better working conditions and the hiring of more professionals.
