Health, Portugal

(August 2016) Unions representing health workers from both the CGTP and UGT confederations organised strike action on 28 and 29 July calling for implementation of the 35-hour week across the health sector. The unions are angry that the decision to return to the 35-hour week across the public sector has not been fully implement in the health sector where many workers are covered by separate collective agreements that continue to apply the 40-hour week. The unions involved were Sintap, FNSTFPS and SEP. The SEP nurses' union reported 75% and more support for the strike and plans further action

(August 2016) Following their national action at the end of July (see last issue of epsucob@NEWS), nurses in the SEP trade union have been involved in a series of strikes at different hospitals around the country. Strikes at Barlavento Algarvio, Faro hospital and other institutions took place in the first half of the month and more are to follow with a five-day action planned at Tondela-Viseu in central Portugal. Read more at SEP (PT).

The one-day public sector strike on 26 October, initially called by trade unions in the Frente Comum linked to the CGTP confederation has also received support from trade unions in the UGT confederation. The striking unions have a broad range of demands including increases to pay and pensions, ensuring the 35-hour week covers all public service workers, measures to tackle staff shortages and to improve health and safety and action to strengthen collective bargaining and that collective agreements are correctly applied.

Trade unions reported a high level of support for the national one-day strike in public administration and other public services on 26 October. The unions are determined to continue their campaign to end the pay freeze that various governments have imposed since 2009 and to unfreeze career progression. In the meantime, there has been further action in the health service, with workers in technical diagnostic and therapeutic services involved in a 24-hour strike on 29 October over the pay structure, pay increase, career development and working time.

Workers at the ECALMA municipal transport company in Almada near Lisbon planned strike action on 17 and 18 August to put pressure on management to negotiate a collective agreement on wages and career development and to implement promised improvements in working conditions. Meanwhile nurses at a number of hospitals across the country are taking strike action in order to secure their rights to career development which have been frozen for many years.

The SINTAP public services union organised a two-day strike of health workers on 2-3 May in protest over working hours, excessive workloads and overtime and the need to improve career development. The union wants to see the 35-hour week guaranteed for all health workers, ensuring equal treatment across the public services. SINTAP highlights the problem of excessive workloads with many workers building up large credits of overtime worked. It is calling for workers to be paid for their overtime and for an increase in employment to address the problem of workloads. Early indications were of very

The strike action by health workers on 2-3 May helped the SINTAP public service union conclude an agreement that establishes equal treatment for 20000 health workers in terms of working time and other employment conditions. Workers on individual contracts employed in public enterprise hospitals did not have the same rights as workers directly employed by the national health service. The new agreement, signed on 4 May, now ensure that they have the same rights to the 35-hour week, holidays, supplements for overtime and night work and career development.

The SEP nurses' union reported 71% support for the start of its national day of strike action on 28 June. The action is the latest step in the union's campaign to ensure that all nurses benefit from the return to the 35-hour week promised to public service workers. The SEP is angry that the Ministry of Health has not only failed to recruit the required number of nurses to ensure that the 35-hour limit can be met but is proposing that new workers be employed on fixed-term contracts.

The Frente Comum and FESAP federations of public service unions are planning national strike action on 15 February with FESAP unions also mobilising on the 14th. The unions have a broad range of demands on the government leading with the priority of ending the long-running pay freeze and tackling low pay. They also want government commitments on pensions, career progression and an end to precarious employment. The unions further underline the need to invest in quality public services rather than undermine them through privatisation.

Four unions representing nurses - SEP, ASPE, SERAM and SINDEPOR - are all supporting national strike action on 20-21 September. Their protest is over the failure of the government to respond to a series of demands on improving the career and pay structure for nurses. These demands cover salaries that properly reflect nurses' job content, with particular concern for specialist nurses and nursing managers, confirmation of 35 years' service and 57 years of age as retirement age, provision of measures to compensate for the arduousness of shift work and the recruitment of more nurses.

Public service unions report very high levels of support for the national strike action on 14-15 February. All sectors of the public services were affected and this gives strength to the unions' claims to end the 10-year pay freeze and to address a wide range of other issues including career progression. Meanwhile, in relation to a separate action the SEP nurses' union has condemned the government for using its power of civil requisition to end a strike. The union argues that this is an excessive measure that undermines the right of healthworkers to take action and will, in any case, do

National strike action across the public sector took place on 14-15 February as unions pushed the government to end its austerity measures that have taken a toll on public service workers. Unions in the FESAP federation took action over the two days while the Frente Comum group of unions joined on 15th. The unions have some common demands, particularly the urgent need to end the pay freeze and provide a pay increase for all public service workers. Other demands covered career progression, training and action to tackle precarious employment. EPSU sent solidarity messages.

The SINTAP public services union has organised a 24-hour strike in public hospitals for 28 June. The dispute is over the failure of the employers to implement the collective agreement negotiated a year ago covering workers on individual contracts, the main aim of which was to bring them in line with public employees. The main demands of the strike include: unfreezing career progression for all workers; creation of a career as an auxiliary health technician; wage increases for all workers; increased staffing; the payment of unpaid overtime hours and the creation of a single employment contract

The Frente Comum group of public service unions has set out its key demands for negotiations next year, many of which focus on restoring pay and benefits cut as a result of austerity. The unions want a minimum wage of EUR 850 a month. They also want to see an unfreezing of career progression, reinstatement of cuts to overtime and other measures relating to annual leave, pensions, compensation for occupational accidents and diseases and action on precarious employment. A complete return to the 35-hour week for all public service workers also remains a central demand.