SIM reaches interim deal with government; FNAM doesn’t
Yesterday’s ‘last ditch’ at negotiations between the government and striking doctors’ unions saw a potentially positive development: one syndicate (SIM, the syndicate of independent doctors) accepted an interim deal, while FNAM (the federation of Portuguese doctors) did not.
Health minister Manuel Pizarro interpreted the progress after over a year and a half of bitter stalemate as “good reason to believe” that the SNS public health system is now in a better place.
“This is an interim agreement (…) it’s the limit we could reach and it was a great effort on our part and also on the part of SIM,” he told reporters, sketching out the basics:
“Doctors at the start of their careers, specialists, have a pay rise of almost 15% (14.6%), then they have a 13% rise in the second stage of their career and a little over 11% in the (…) highest stage of their career. This is the agreement that is possible because, at the same time (…), around 2,000 doctors from the USF (Family Health Units) model A and the personalised health care units who move to the USF model B will get an increase of around 60%,” he stressed.
FNAM however does not see things quite the same way. Federation president Joana Bordalo e Sá said as she left yesterday’s meeting: “this is a bad agreement for doctors, it’s a bad agreement for the SNS, it won’t allow us to retain doctors…”
For now, it is what it is: whether this interim agreement helps retain doctors within the SNS will be key. Certainly for Manuel Pizarro, it is a solution “that guarantees the stability of the functioning of the SNS, the pillar of access to healthcare in Portugal”.
SIM’s president Roque da Cunha has stressed the agreement is far from ideal, but it is at least “possible”/ “reasonable”, given the complicated political picture. It allows for an increase for all doctors of almost €400 a month, he added – admitting that SIM will continue pushing for “better conditions for doctors” – particularly in terms of working hours – “with the next government”.
As for the ‘strike’ currently waged by doctors over overtime, FNAM members will find their timetables ‘reset’ in January, with the start of a New Year, meaning they will all be required to work 150 hours overtime, before any kind of further strike action can be contemplated. ND
