Portugal's public administration strike hits schools and health services on 2 November

Scope and timing

The 24-hour strike began at midnight on Monday, 2 November, and runs until 23:59 the same day, covering central, regional and local public administration. The STTS union, the Sindicato Nacional dos Trabalhadores dos Serviços e de Entidades com Fins Públicos, called the action to protest pay and working conditions. Unions describe it as one of the most comprehensive walkouts in recent years, with significant participation across the country.

Schools and hospitals

At 9:00, Mário Rui, speaking to the Lusa news agency for the STTS, put adherence at about 60% in education and health on the mainland and in the autonomous regions. He described the effect in these words:

“At this hour it is affecting mainly health and education, with many schools and some health centres closed and appointments postponed across the country, including the islands.”

RTP reported that in Faro, at 8:00, some schools had not yet decided whether they would open, and parents and pupils waited at the gates. At Hospital de Santa Maria in Lisbon, RTP reported adherence among health staff during the night period at around 80%. The union said the most affected services there were scheduled surgery operating theatres, outpatient clinics and blood-collection laboratories. Diogo Mendes, a union official, said several schools were closed nationwide, and the EB 2/3 Dª Maria Alice Gouveia school in Coimbra suspended classes.

The STTS note says the minimum services set for the strike will be guaranteed, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, haemodialysis and blood donation services in the Unidades Locais de Saúde. One report said consultations and surgeries were being postponed because of staff shortages.

What the unions want

The STTS list begins with a meal card for public administration staff worth 10.20 euros a day, tax-free, to be introduced through negotiation of a collective agreement for public employers (ACEP). The union also seeks a review of SIADAP, the public administration performance evaluation system, so that points earned under fixed-term contracts and after a change of career or category are kept. It asks for a risk allowance for the Técnico Auxiliar de Saúde career, a review of the collective agreement for public business entities, and new hiring. Unions argue that purchasing power is eroding and that working conditions are growing more precarious, and they want wages that keep pace with inflation.

Government offer and next strike

Under a multi-year agreement signed with the UGT unions, around 768,000 public sector workers could receive a pay rise of 60.52 euros or at least 2.3% next year. The base state salary would rise to 995.51 euros, and the daily meal allowance would go up by 15 cents to 6.30 euros. The Frente Comum, which brings together more than thirty unions, says these figures fall short and proposes raises of 15%. Approving a resolution at a rally in front of the Assembly of the Republic, the coalition set a national public administration strike for 20 November:

“Reaffirming that they do not accept impoverishment, professional devaluation or the destruction of public services”

Unions say talks with the government have so far been unproductive, and they would step up action if no satisfactory deal is reached.