More than 32,700 nurses, who are deployed across the country’s various health units, are mobilized to join the strike, the first phase of which is scheduled to begin on the 20th of this month, revealed, exclusively to the newspaper OPAÍS, the secretary from the National Union of Nurses of Angola (SINDEA), Cruz Matete
From the 20th to the 22nd, nurses will only work in the emergency services, emergency bench, operating room, delivery room, among other emergency areas, similar to what will happen with professionals from other public administration bodies . The union leader guaranteed that all professionals who work on a shift basis in the emergency room will work without obstacles. “Non-emergency services such as operating rooms, where elective surgeries are performed, among others, at national level, will not operate during the strike period”, he stressed.
Cruz Matete stated that all his members are informed, this is because, in the first phase, the assemblies were held by province, which began on the 24th of February and the one in Luanda, which took place this Saturday, the 9th, was the last. According to our interlocutor, the participants in the aforementioned meetings embraced the strike because, allegedly, they considered that the social life of workers “is increasingly terrible and chaotic. They earn a salary and it seems like they don’t.” He further explained that another reason that leads them to join the strike has to do with the fact that the Government has not responded to the requests contained in the demands list that they presented in August of last year.
In this document, they request a salary increase, and the establishment of a new minimum wage, a review of the Labor Income Tax (IRT), which currently varies from 1% to 25%, as the figure reduces the salary considerably. As for INSS subsidies, the union leader argues that there should be a class manager at the institution or a non-executive administrator, in order to find out where the discounts made to employees are appropriated, since many unions are unaware of where their employees’ investments are being made. your affiliates.
Cruz Matete also said that many workers who have already completed 30 or 35 years of service, following being retired, go to the INSS and discover that the company never deposited their social security contribution. “Many of these cases are in court”, he assured. On the other hand, he explained that some unions, such as Nurses, Doctors and Teachers, negotiated several notebooks with the employer identities, with some points remaining pending and so far unfinished. “In the nursing class there is no promotion for three or four years, however, new technicians are promoted. The situation generates discontent among those who have been at the institution for longer and are waiting for a promotion”, she emphasized.
Nurses’ complaints
In addition to the lack of promotion, among the six points contained in SINDEA’s claim book, according to Cruz Matete, the withdrawal of the compensation allowance also stands out, something that occurs when the employee goes on vacation. DR He explained that the five percent increase in the basic salary that public employees benefited did not cover more than 10 thousand nurses. Regarding these two aspects, SINDEA argues that, when this situation is regularized, the retroactive payment and compensation should be paid.
“After being presented, the proposal was negotiated with the Government and it was concluded that the more than 10 thousand nurses should wait for promotion, which has not happened so far”, he detailed. According to our interlocutor, the class of nurses also aims to be provided with residences in a rent-resolvable system, that is, with the possibility of paying in stages with discounts on their salaries, over a set period of time. “The sixth point is the beginning of higher education in the class specialty. The diploma has already been approved, and nurses are now waiting for its execution and indication of the places where they can go”, highlighted Cruz Matete.
