Minister of Health considers it possible to reach a consensus to avoid a strike of doctors

The health minister acknowledged this Friday that he was worried about the doctors’ strike planned for March, but said he thought there could be “enough common ground” in the negotiations to avoid these forms of struggle.

The National Federation of Physicians (FNAM) said on Thursday it was in “good faith” negotiations with the government, but said it was keeping the strike planned for March 8 and 9 due to the “deadlock” in the process.

Asked by reporters about the strike on the sidelines of the unveiling of the “Heroes of the Pandemic” sculpture promoted by the Order of Physicians in honor of physicians, Manuel Pizarro said that there is an agenda for negotiations agreed between the Ministry of Health and the trade unions that will run until June, and that he has “great expectations that by that time “many platforms of mutual understanding” could be found, so that these forms of struggle are not needed.

Refusing to comment on the exercise of the legitimate right of trade unions to use these forms of struggle, the minister acknowledged that this situation worries him.

However, he insisted, “two people dance the tango, negotiations are carried out together, I give a guarantee of availability for dialogue.”

Asked if he had seen the protests outside the Ministry of Health on Thursday, the minister replied that he was at a meeting of the Council of Ministers, but he watches TV and reads newspapers, knowing about the various statements.

“We are negotiating with all medical professionals, in some cases with great success, in other cases with a slight delay, but we recognize the importance of professionals and their appreciation,” he said, stressing that the willingness of the ministry is “negotiating”. in good faith with the various professional classes.”

The minister also said that these years of the pandemic were “very demanding” for the Portuguese, “but they were doubly demanding for medical workers who had to be very mobilized, to experience a lot of wear and tear, and now this needs to be understood and compensated for.”

He drew attention to an agreement reached in December with the vast majority of nurses’ unions, which is still ongoing, to reassess the careers of some 20,000 nurses whose pay situation has been improved.

In some cases, nurses have been working since 2004 without this assessment, he said, believing that “this is a very significant change” that the professional class recognizes.

Also on the question of when the regulation with the rules of the SNS Executive Board will be published, Manuel Pizarro said that he hopes that this issue will be closed in the coming weeks.