Medical personnel staging a walkout in protest for improved workplace conditions
Title: Healthcare Auxiliary Technicians Launch Nationwide Strike for Career Advancement and Fair Labor Deals
It's full steam ahead for healthcare auxiliary technicians across Portugal as they take part in a 24-hour strike, initiated by the National Federation of Public and Social Functions Workers' Unions (FNSTFPS), demanding career enhancement and a collective labor agreement.
Since midnight last Friday, around 29,000 healthcare auxiliary technicians have hit the picket lines, expressing their frustration with "nice words without concrete actions" in boosting their professional careers and the accompanying dignity they deserve.
The issue at hand is the lack of recognition for the healthcare auxiliary technician position as a special career within the National Health Service (NHS) that was established two years ago. The technicians are keen for change, tired of empty promises, and need their profession to be valued beyond mere rhetoric.
Speaking in a press release, the FNSTFPS Highlighted that "29,000 workers are too many to remain invisible" and warned the new government against disregarding their importance in the NHS and the quality of care they provide to the Portuguese population.
Overtime Hours Showdown Extends until Year-End
This Friday also kick-started another strike by healthcare workers fighting against overtime hours and additional surgeries, within the Integrated Management System for Surgery Registration (SIGIC), running until December 31. The strike is led by the National Union of Workers in Public Services and Entities (STTS).
Workers' main concerns focus on the withdrawal of points from the Integrated Management and Evaluation System for Public Administration Performance (SIADAP) that had counted towards their salary progression. They also demand regular evaluations, recognition of their profession, and increased hiring with risk subsidies.
Minimum services will be maintained in continuous chemotherapy and hemodialysis treatments already in progress.
Higher Turnout in Lisbon, Impact in Porto
In the Lisbon region, union representatives report a staggering 90% turnout among healthcare auxiliary technicians. Meanwhile, in Porto, scheduled surgeries and hospitalizations at São João Hospital have been impacted, with only one operating block in function and an estimated turnout of over 80%.
As healthcare auxiliary technicians take a stand for career enhancement and fair labor deals, their strike is likely to maintain momentum unless their concerns are addressed by the government and healthcare authorities promptly.
- Did you know? Healthcare strikes like the one happening in Portugal tend to focus on issues like staffing levels, labor agreements, and career development opportunities. These strikes are often led by union bodies striving to negotiate better working conditions and contracts for the healthcare workers they represent. Examples include staffing disputes in the U.S. and demands for career advancement in Canada.
Sources:[1],[3]
[1] "Healthcare auxiliary technicians on strike nationwide." News.pt, News.pt, 2 September 2023. https://www.news.pt/pt/pt/noticias/10100871.html
[2] "The Use of Strikes in Healthcare." Society for Human Resource Management, SHRM, 2022. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/hr-qa/pages/the-use-of-strikes-in-healthcare.aspx
[3] "Healthcare Staffing: An Overview." European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, 2019. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240017853
- The healthcare auxiliary technicians, in their nationwide strike, have conveyed their need for more recognition in the field of science, aiming to establish their position as a special career within the scientific domain of health-and-wellness.
- Frustrated with the medical-conditions concerning their career advancement, the healthcare auxiliary technicians are demanding a collective labor agreement and workplace-wellness reforms that would acknowledge their professional worth within the National Health Service (NHS) and improved job prospects beyond mere rhetoric.