The National Federation of Workers’ Unions in Public and Social Functions (FNSTFPS), announced today that health professionals living on the mainland and the Azores will go on strike on the 1st of July, while those living in Madeira will go on strike on the 30th of June, as the 1st of July is a public holiday.
The strike, which covers all professionals in the sector with the exception of doctors and nurses, is the first since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and, according to the coordinator of the Federation, Dr Elisabete Gonçalves, is motivated by unresolved grievances.
“There is a willingness to join the fight, because many have been waiting for years for a resolution to their work related problems. And no matter how many pats they received on their backs during the pandemic, nothing has been resolved,” said Dr Elisabete Gonçalves, at a press conference.
During the press conference, Dr. Elisabete spoke about the problems that affect medical assistants, senior health technicians and senior diagnostic and therapeutic technicians, that accentuate instability within the health services and harm the National Health Service, stating: “These are situations that may seem diverse and distant, but which as a whole demotivate health workers, which in turn affects the operationality of services due to lack of staff.”
Dr. Elisabete Gonçalves mainly denounces problems related to the careers of health technicians, demanding the replacement of the assistant technician’s career path, and the change in the career of higher diagnostic technicians which does not reflect the qualifications of these workers. Furthermore, senior health technicians have been fighting for years for recognition within the National Health Service, and as a result many feel that their contribution and value as health professionals is undermined and unappreciated at all levels.”
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
