The strike by workers at the Cascais Hospital this Friday had a turnout of about 80%, a union source told Lusa, adding that services related to external consultations, examinations and elective surgeries were most affected.
Workers at the Cascais Hospital in the Lisbon district are on strike from 8am this Friday until 12am Saturday, demanding the agreement of collective labor rules guaranteeing a 35-hour working day and the hiring of human resources as part of the strike. called on the Public Utility Workers Union.
Lusa contacted a source at the Cascais hospital, who sent information for the future.
“The workers concentrated from 10:00 to 11:00 at the Cascais hospital to demand the agreement of collective labor rules. Compliance is about 80%, with external consultations, imaging tests and surgeries planned, with the exception of oncology, the most affected services,” Ana Pais from the Union of Public and Social Workers of the South and Autonomous Regions (STFPSSRA) told Lusa.
According to the union leader, minimal services were provided, particularly in emergency departments, surgeries and oncology.
According to Ana Pais, the strike aims to allow workers “to have the same working conditions, the same rights as workers in other public health institutions, namely 35 hours, [para] those workers who work 40 hours,” Ana Pais explained to Luse.
The workers, who include administrative staff, assistants, senior therapists and senior diagnosticians, also want to address the “question of a more rewarding career” such as a career as an auxiliary medical technician, “a special career in the NHS”. [SNS]”and that the relevant certificate also provides that it will apply “to employees of PPP hospitals [parceria-público-privada]”.
“What’s happening is that workers haven’t transitioned into this career path yet, and we don’t think management has the desire for that to happen,” he said.
The list of demands also includes “wage issues” and “staffing shortages” due to which “workers are seeing their working hours extended” well “exceeding 40 hours.”
The union met with hospital management in August 2023 to discuss workers’ concerns and, given the argument that they were unaware of the problems, they requested time to analyze the problems, committing to meet again in the second half of the week. October, but since then they have gone silent.
In addition to urgent, effective negotiations on a collective labor regulation instrument, the workers also demand “the integration of the Cascais Hospital into the scope of the SNS.” [Serviço Nacional de Saúde]providing all rights to its employees, namely the recording of seniority for all lawful purposes.”
“In fact, we are also demanding the return of this type of management to the public sphere,” he said, adding that “workers see their working conditions further exacerbated by the fact that this is a public-private partnership.”
The Cascais Hospital PPP was managed for 14 years by the Lusíadas Saúde group, which withdrew from the new tender in 2022 because economic sustainability was no longer guaranteed, and was in the meantime transferred to the Spanish group Ribera Salud.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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