Independent doctors’ union says agreement will be difficult to reach

The Independent Union of Doctors (SIM) said on Tuesday, at the start of a new round of talks at the Health Ministry, that it would be difficult to reach an agreement, arguing that the counter-proposal presented by the government “doesn’t offer anything new”.

Speaking to reporters, SIM Secretary General Jorge Roque da Cunha explained that the proposed salary increase for ward doctors remains at 5.5%.

“[O Ministério da Saúde] It did not offer anything new (…), and therefore it will be difficult for us to agree,” he said, noting that the government should “be more on the side of doctors.”

“When we demand a phased increase of 30%, we remember that for doctors, the increase is below the government average and is far from inflation, and therefore we hope that the government will look closely at this issue,” he said.

For her part, the president of the National Federation of Doctors (Fnam), Joana Bordalo e Sa, seemed puzzled because she only received documents from the government late on Monday.

“With some bewilderment, we received the documentation sent by the ministry yesterday. [segunda-feira] at night at 23:58, and these documents do not contain in writing those decisions – those approximations – that we thought were regarding working conditions, namely the replacement of 35 hours of work and (…) the phasing of emergency service from 18:00 until 12:00. This part is still being decided,” he emphasized.

According to Joana Bordalo e San, doctors “cannot be forgotten” and she hopes to “reach an agreement and a successful outcome” during a meeting with Health Minister Manuel Pizarro.

Despite this, the union leader recalled that Fnam will continue to support all doctors who have difficulty submitting requests for justification, will continue the national strike on November 14 and 15 and will travel to Brussels to meet with European Health Commissioner Stella. Kyriakides.

Doctors’ unions and the health minister are meeting again this afternoon after a round of talks on Sunday that lasted more than nine hours and ended without an agreement early on Monday.

On Tuesday, along with Health Minister Manuel Pizarro, he reiterated that the government had “made consistent efforts” to meet union demands.

Negotiations between the Ministry of Health and SIM and Fnam began 18 months ago (back in 2022), but the lack of an agreement has intensified the struggle of doctors with strikes and claims to justify overtime work beyond the 150 hours of mandatory annual requirements, causing restrictions and the closure of emergency services in hospitals countrywide.