Strike begins tomorrow; union boss calls for ‘en masse’ support
Portuguese Nurses’ Union (SEP) has announced that it will go ahead with the national strike scheduled for tomorrow (Friday), claiming it has âadded reasonsâ to join the stoppage after a last, failed round of negotiations with the Ministry of Health.
“The proposal (presented by the government) continues to be unacceptable, intolerable and, for this reason, nurses have more reasons to express their strong indignation,” SEP president JosĂ© Carlos Martins told reporters at the end of the meeting health ministry officials yesterday.
According to Martins, the ministry proposed an increase of âŹ52 for all nursesâ monthly salaries, but no changes in the salary scales, particularly for specialist nurses and managers.
The proposal means that, for “those who join in future, the economic value of the work of specialist and head nurses will remain exactly the same as it is today,” Martins lamented, pointing out that the Ministry of Health “still hasn’t presented any proposal” to compensate for the risk and hardship of the profession, nor the possibility of early retirement.
“There will be a new meeting on September 12, and my appeal is for nurses to express their indignation en-masse tomorrow and to back the entire âstrategy of struggleâ that will take place over the summer,” he said.
Source material: LUSA
