The Union of Portuguese Nurses (SEP) has announced a strike at the Algarve Local Health Unit (ULS), demanding the payment of retroactive compensation from 2018, as well as payments for public holidays and weekly rest days. The administration of ULS, which includes the public hospitals in Faro, Portimão, and Lagos, along with several regional health centers, has responded by stating that the reasons for the strike are unfounded.
“We received the strike notice from SEP with amazement, considering that the Human Resources Department has been working hard and maintaining regular discussions,” the administration of ULS in the Algarve stated, accusing the union of “lying” about the reasons for the strike.
The strike is scheduled for Friday, from 08:00 to 24:00, as well as from 08:00 on the 8th of May to 24:00 on the 9th. The administration disputes the union’s claim that they have been waiting for a meeting since February 19, indicating that a meeting took place on March 17.
Regarding the payment of “the due retroactive amounts from 2018 to all nurses,” the administration pointed out that the current legal framework only permits payments effective from January 1, 2022. This process is nearly complete, with pending cases awaiting validation from other institutions, and they are scheduled to be processed in May, as committed by the current Board in a meeting with nurse representatives.
For the payment of holidays worked at 200%, requested by the nurses, the administration cited “the applicable legislation, Decree-Law No. 62/79 of March 30,” which “provides for compensation for working on holidays but does not specify payment at 200%.”
“There is no Collective Bargaining Agreement (ACT) in effect at ULS or any other normative provision that establishes 200% payment for nurses working on holidays or mandatory weekly rest days,” asserted the administration.
Another demand from SEP is to grant a “Good” classification to “all nurses.” However, the administration clarified that this claim is not included in the legal pre-strike notice but only in the information SEP disseminates to the media.
According to the ULS administration, “SEP knows it is illegal, which is why it did not include it in the pre-strike notice.”
The healthcare administration also countered SEP’s demand for “a fair application of performance evaluation,” asserting that it “not only agrees” but has mandated the implementation of the integrated system for management and performance evaluation (SIADAP) in 2025 “to the nursing career (and other careers) in the correct manner, that is, with the definition of competencies and objectives.”
The hospital administration also refused to comply with the union’s demand not to appeal court decisions favorable to nurses, citing the obligations that leaders have concerning “legality” and “public interest” in fulfilling their roles.
“In summary, there do not seem to be real reasons justifying this strike, opportunistically scheduled for Friday, after a holiday and subsequent Thursday and Friday,” the administration of ULS Algarve concluded.
The strike begins at 08:00 on Friday, and the SEP has called a press conference for that day at 11:00, outside Faro hospital, urging professionals to join the strike in response to the lack of answers to their demands.
