Nurses will be on strike on March 15th, fighting to update the salary table, fair remuneration, better working conditions and dignified careers, announced the Portuguese Nurses Union (SEP).
According to the strike notice published today in the press, the strike will be from 8:00 am to midnight (morning and afternoon shifts) on March 24th and covers nurses in the public and social sectors.
Minimum services cover emergency situations in permanent care units that operate 24 hours a day, inpatient services that also operate 24 hours a day, intensive care, operating rooms - with the exception of scheduled surgeries -, emergencies, hemodialysis services and oncology treatments.
In the minimum services related to oncological treatments, the strike notice includes surgeries or initiation of radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatments for newly diagnosed oncological diseases and classified with priority level 4, surgeries for diseases with priority level 3 if this is not possible reschedule in the following 15 days and the continuation of ongoing treatments.
Current scheduled treatments are also covered by the minimum services, as well as planned radiotherapy and chemotherapy program sessions and daily prescription treatments on an outpatient basis.
Regarding other situations, such as scheduled surgeries, the SEP says that “they must be considered in accordance with the institutions' contingency plan for situations comparable to point tolerance – often announced at short notice – or surgery cancellations on the same day – for unfeasibility of carrying them out during the normal working hours of the staff or operating room”.
The SEP also reminds that it is not necessary to provide minimum services in day hospital cases, as the urgent requirements and “especially serious cases” in oncological matters are met.
As for the personnel required to carry out the minimum services, it will be identical to that defined for night shifts, and for oncological surgeries, this number will be supplemented by three nursing professionals (an instrumentalist, an anesthetist and a circulator) in the operating room. and another nurse to ensure recovery.
With this strike, the SEP demands the updating of salary tables and fair remunerations, the dignification of the nursing career and better working conditions.
The last national nurses' strike took place between December 21st and January 02nd, to demand parity with the higher technical career in Public Administration, and was called by the Independent Union of All United Nurses (SITEU).
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