The Sindicato dos Enfermeiros Portugueses (SEP) was the only nurses’ union that had not yet signed an agreement with the Ministry of Health, after the ministry had reached negotiation protocols in July with the platform consisting of five union structures and the Associação Sindical Portuguesa dos Enfermeiros (ASPE).
“In the meeting between the Government and the Sindicato dos Enfermeiros Portugueses (SEP), the negotiation protocol for the first Collective Labor Agreement (ACT) was now established, as had already been done with the other unions of these professionals last July,” stated a joint communiqué from the ministries of Health and Finance regarding the negotiation process with the nurses’ unions.
During the meeting, which took place on Wednesday, the Government presented the initial draft of the Collective Labor Agreement to the union platform comprising five nurses’ unions — the Sindicato Nacional dos Enfermeiros (SNE), Sindicato Democrático dos Enfermeiros Portugueses (SINDEPOR), Sindicato dos Enfermeiros (SE), Sindicato Independente dos Profissionais de Enfermagem (SIPENF), and Sindicato Independente de todos os Enfermeiros Unidos (SITEU) –, as well as to the ASPE and SEP.
The two ministries reported that the ACT proposal covers various topics, such as new work organization methods for nurses, particularly regarding shift flexibility for healthcare professionals in the Serviço Nacional de Saúde (SNS).
The unions will now review the ACT proposal presented by the Government.
