The strike by nurses in the Algarve, this Thursday, 5th of May, to demand the «appreciation of work» and protest against the «indifference and ingratitude of the ARS and CHUA administrations», has a membership between 70 and 100. XNUMX%.
"Nurses on the front line, salaries on the back line", read one of the posters displayed by some of the nurses who were this morning at the door of the Hospital de Faro to appeal for career progression and “promised” salaries, either by the Regional Health Administration (ARS) or by the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve (CHUA).
Nuno Manjua, regional coordinator of the Union of Portuguese Nurses (SEP), told journalists that “nurses are outraged and do not accept that their working time is not counted. There are nurses who have been working for 10, 15 and 20 years who earn exactly the same as a nurse who just leaves school and starts working».
But this is not the only situation that leads them to protest.
“There are also other reasons, such as the lack of payment for work that was provided by nurses who were in the vaccination centers, days off, which worsened during the pandemic, tolerances that were not paid properly. There are a number of reasons why nurses are on strike», continues Nuno Manjua.
According to the unionist, the strike has 100% adherence at Lagos Hospital – «which was to be expected because, this month, the CHUA administration cut 200 euros to nurses, that is, it reversed the progression it had already made. » – around 75% adherence at Hospital de Portimão and 70% adherence at Hospital de Faro.
As for the Health centres, data were still being collected during the morning, but Nuno Manjua said that there are “many units in the 16 municipalities of the Algarve that are also at 100% adherence”.
He also stressed to journalists that the strike could have been avoided by the ARS and CHUA administrations.
«They didn't, and therefore all the consequences for users are the full responsibility of these administrations, because whoever asked the most to reorganize themselves in their daily lives - to change their service, to collaborate in the community, in the centers of health, in the collection of tests, etc. – to all of them the answer from the administrations is zero. Nurses also have problems that they want to see resolved», highlighted Nuno Manjua.
O Sul Informação contacted ARS Algarve and CHUA for a reaction to the strike, but received no response so far.
The Algarve nurses' strike, which started at 8 am, will last until midnight this Thursday.
Photos: Mariana Carriço |Sul Informação
Comments