Health Minister Engages Unions but Stresses Non-Negotiable Issues

Health Minister's Commitment to Dialogue

The Health Minister, Ana Paula Martins, reaffirmed today her commitment to maintaining dialogue with sector unions but emphasized that there are "non-negotiable red lines" that must be respected for a consensus to be reached.

Unions' Stance and Government's Response

The National Federation of Doctors (Fnam) announced on Saturday that it will "harden the struggle" against government health policies and will convene with other professional unions to outline a plan for this purpose. In response to this position during a visit to the Diabetes Protection Association of Portugal in Lisbon, the minister expressed respect for "all forms of struggle".

Importance of Negotiation

“We are in a democracy, but we do not comment on union matters and their methods of struggle. What matters to us is that we will always maintain dialogue with healthcare professionals who want to negotiate with the government and stay at the negotiating table, without setting non-negotiable red lines, because negotiation is about not placing obstacles that prevent reaching a consensus,” the minister stated.

Government's Responsibility

Ana Paula Martins assured that the government is ready to "listen, build, and negotiate" anything that "benefits citizens", highlighting this as her main focus. “Each party assumes its responsibilities. The government and the Ministry of Health take on the responsibility to negotiate for an agreement,” she emphasized.

Current Negotiations

Currently, negotiations are ongoing with the Independent Doctors' Union (SIM), which is the only union willing to continue discussions with this government to improve conditions for doctors in the National Health Service within the next two months, by the end of the year at the latest.

Recent Agreements

The minister recalled an agreement reached with a platform comprising five unions, which includes a 20% salary increase for nurses by 2027, beginning in November this year. “We will certainly ensure that pharmacists and other technicians are also included, as health is a multidisciplinary team and we need everyone,” she declared.