Some 60 nurses gathered this Wednesday at the prime minister’s official residence in Lisbon, where they presented a proposal demanding equality in salaries with senior technical careers in public administration, as well as in recruitment and promotion.
“Management graduates earn more than nursing graduates,” said Portuguese Nurses Union (SEP) president José Carlos Martins in a statement to Lusa.
For the nurses who demonstrated in Sao Bento this Wednesday, this is “deep discrimination.”
On the spot, they unanimously and approvingly approved a petition in which they promised to continue the struggle to “correct injustice” and which was delivered to the official residence at the end of the action.
According to the AKP president, career advancement points are also at stake. For nurses, points are calculated only from 2022, and for other specialists, points are calculated from 2019.
Nurses are also demanding recruitment and an end to instability.
“Rating: yes. There is no discrimination”, “We are essential, we cannot be unreliable” were some of the phrases written on the posters placed during the demonstration.
“A fair and significant shortfall of points to which we are entitled still remains,” the AKP president said to protesters before approving the proposal.
“It is completely unacceptable for the Ministry of Health to treat us as second-class professionals,” the AKP leader complained.
The union believes that even in management, the government can respond to nurses’ demands.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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