The president of Sindepor, Carlos Ramalho, announced a strike following months of stalled negotiations regarding the Collective Work Agreement (ACT).
The leader emphasized that Sindepor, affiliated with the General Union of Workers (UGT) and the Federation of Public Administration Unions (Fesap), had not called a strike in over two years, always preferring negotiation.
Carlos Ramalho recalled that the Government had promised to begin negotiations in January but only started in June, presenting “completely absurd” proposals.
“There was no choice but to reject them,” he stated, citing job insecurity and changes to work schedules as critical issues.
The contested measures include the introduction of an hours bank and adaptability, which, according to the leader, “seriously compromise the personal and family life of nurses, as they never know what to expect.” Additionally, overtime would not be paid but merely banked for future compensation.
“This is not progress; it’s a serious setback,” he criticized.
Another reason for the strike is the performance evaluation model applied to nurses, deemed inadequate.
“We needed a performance evaluation that rewards and gratifies those who truly strive. That is not happening. It’s designed to be overly complex, to miss deadlines and disadvantage workers,” he stressed.
The Sindepor president also highlighted the lack of recognition of nursing as a profession with rapid wear and tear and the absence of compensation for the risk and hardship of the activity.
“Thirty years ago, we had that recognition. Today, the Government doesn’t even want to hear about it; on the contrary, they intend to raise the retirement age,” he lamented.
Despite the strike, the leader guaranteed that minimum services will be maintained, especially in critical areas such as emergency, oncology, organ collection, and blood services.
“We are very responsible people and try to handle things seriously so that the strike is a protest but does not overly harm those most vulnerable,” he assured.
The unionist concluded that the 16-hour strike is “an initial sign of protest” and, if necessary, further actions might be called.
The Sindepor strike follows the general strike set for Thursday, December 11, which the union supports and urges professionals to join.
