SEP demands a working week of 35 hours a week and the regulation of shifts, a monthly salary increase for those who work shifts, payment of the prevention scheme, increased compensation for so-called painful hours (nights, weekends and holidays), an increased salary of 10% and ab increase in the meal subsidy, in addition to 25 days of vacation.

The strike "has to do with the negotiation of a career in terms of private hospitalization, which involves the main economic groups in health, in a total of 75 institutions, and which covers 4,200 nurses", explained the union leader Rui Marroni, in a initiative with Hospital da Luz de Coimbra.

“These nurses have had irregular schedules and are working 40 hours a week or more. Since we started this process, two institutions have advanced with salary increases, but what we want is for this to be regulated in the collective bargaining agreement that we are negotiating”, he added.

The trade unionist denounced exaggerated working hours, with nurses who “have more than 200 hours of work in debt, which means at least one month of work, and this cannot happen”.

"What we want is that in this collective bargaining agreement, this matter is duly regulated, and limited to 35 hours a week, which is what happens in the rest of the sectors, namely the social sector and public administration", he underlined.

According to Rui Marroni, the negotiation started in November has not been “progressed by the association that represents these private groups”.

The strike was announced today in Coimbra, next to Hospital da Luz, through the placement of a banner, followed by a press conference.