About 100 nurses gathered in front of the steps of the Assembly of the Republic to draw the attention of all parties to the main problems of the class, namely working conditions and pay.
The shift was due to begin at 4 p.m., but weather conditions, especially heavy rain, delayed the arrival of the nurses, who, according to a spokesperson for the Nurses Without Fear movement, came from around the country.
The goal of the nurses is to extend the shift until 24:00.
In a conversation with the Lusa agency, Rodrigo Cunha explained that the initiative to organize this Saturday came from a group of four nurses who, “in conversations about the professional class” and the uncertainty of the profession, decided to create an inorganic movement “calling on all colleagues and trade unions to join in the cause of a better future nursing in Portugal.”
It is precisely because this movement is not associated with parties or trade unions, and because they understand that the negotiating role is in the hands of the trade union structures, he noted that the nurses on duty do not bring a notepad with their demands, despite the fact that they are there to fight for what they believe in.
“Obviously, there are points that we always touch upon and which we will touch upon until it is attributed to us, whether it is rapid wear and tear, the issue of wages, hospital coefficients or the quality of services,” he emphasized. Rodrigo Cunha.
He added that the aim “is to put all these demands in the hands of union protection” and to call on the government to pay attention to nurses, taking into account all the demonstrations they have already staged and the fact that they understand that they continue “without any -actions on the part of the government.” “for the class.
The spokesman also explained that the fact that they organized the picket this Saturday is due to the legislative elections scheduled for March 10, and that this is therefore the “ideal time to ask” future members of the Assembly of the Republic to look among nurses and agree to improve conditions for all professionals, whether in the public, private or social sectors.
Zelia Candeias, 52, one of the nurses on duty, told Lusa what prompted her to take part in the initiative: 28 years of experience, being a “pleasure nurse” and specializing in maternal and child health, which is not recognized.
“We have maternity hospitals closing and we have specialist nurses who have the skills, the training and the skills to help improve the public service for women, and we are letting it all fall apart because we are not using the human resources we have,” he pointed.
Manuela Cabeleira, 61, stressed that she had never participated in a demonstration or gone on strike before, deciding that this Saturday was the ideal day to start, “primarily because it is a non-partisan and non-union vigil.”
“What’s worse [na enfermagem em Portugal] It is time for reforms so that we are not seen as a risky profession, working conditions (…) that leave much to be desired, and what is done to patients,” he believes.
The President of the Order of Nurses attended the vigil, expressing solidarity with nurses and their demands, emphasizing that three main issues need to be addressed: low pay, career differentiation, skill levels and working conditions.
“This is a warning to all political parties to remember the Portuguese nurses the day after March 10,” defended Luis Filipe Barreira, adding that the Order has already written to all parties about the requirements for the profession and that as soon as the new Minister of Health takes office , he will begin the meeting.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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