After a first meeting with the Government in late April, the National Federation of Doctors (FNAM) and the Independent Union of Doctors (SIM) will once again sit at the table with the ministry, but now to proceed with the "definition and establishment of the methodology and negotiating protocol", according to the agenda.

In statements to the Lusa agency, the leaders of the two union structures said that, after a negotiation process with the previous Government that took more than 18 months with dozens of meetings, they want the new negotiations to take place until December.

"At least until the end of the year we must have practical solutions, because it cannot be otherwise, also because there are solutions that have no budgetary impact", stressed the president of FNAM, adding that "the entire negotiation will take place according to what is included in this protocol".

Joana Bordalo e Sá also guaranteed that FNAM will not accept the "wear and tear technique as was done by the previous Government", through "36 meetings, many of them cancelled on the eve", over more than a year and a half of negotiations.

As matters to be included in the negotiation protocol, the federation elects as a priority the salary issue, in order to "at least compensate for the loss of purchasing power" of doctors, as well as the reinstatement of the 35 weekly working hours, a point that was even discussed in the last negotiations.

In addition, the president of FNAM said that she intends to include in the negotiations the demand to integrate the approximately 10 thousand interns in the medical career, arguing that this measure has no budgetary impact.

Another matter to be negotiated is career progression, through a "simpler and more practical" doctor evaluation system and through more agile and faster competitions, pointed out Joana Bordalo e Sá, also considering that an "easy measure to implement" would be the allocation of five extra vacation days when enjoyed in the off-season.

According to her, this measure would prevent the majority of doctors from taking vacations in July and August, contributing to "facilitating the schedules and resorting less to overtime and service providers" during the summer.

Coinciding with FNAM, the secretary-general of SIM told Lusa that "these negotiations must take place by the end of the year", alleging the union's experience with the "previous Government of consecutive postponement" of the process.

Nuno Rodrigues also justified this deadline with the "general consensus among the parties" on the "need for action" in the measures that the National Health Service (NHS) needs.

"If there is this general consensus among the parties, including those that support the current Government, we do not see the need for a negotiation protocol to extend beyond this year", stressed the union leader.

As "matters that are priorities and that must be resolved this year", the secretary-general of SIM listed the revision of the doctor evaluation system and the salary scales.

"More than 70% of doctors have never been evaluated in their career and, therefore, are in the same remuneration position, some for more than a decade. This is something that is a priority this year", claimed Nuno Rodrigues, also pointing out the negotiations of salary increases for the coming years.

"These are two key points" in the negotiations, said the union leader, for whom it is "also in the Government's interest that the situation of permanent instability in the NHS ceases".

After the meeting on April 26, the Ministry of Health said it hoped that the negotiation process with NHS professionals would take place on a basis of good faith, commitment and responsibility and that it would meet its expectations "as far as possible".

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