APHP "available to work" with unions

The Portuguese Private Hospital Association (APHP) assured this Saturday that it is “available to continue working” with the union structures representing private hospitals, a day after the Northern Hotel Union accused it of taking away workers' rights.

"APHP is available to continue working with the unions representing the private hospital sector, with a view to promoting decent working conditions, valuing human resources, and continuously improving the healthcare provided," reads a response sent to Lusa this Saturday by an official source.

On Friday, the Union of Workers in the Hotel, Tourism, Restaurant and Similar Sectors of the North (STIHTRSN) accused CUF and the Portuguese Private Hospital Association of mandating 12-hour working hours, with CUF stating that it complies with the law.

Union leader Vânia Cardoso also said that the employers' association [Portuguese Private Hospital Association, APHP] reached an agreement with the UGT that provides for a series of withdrawals of workers' rights.”

The union leader talks about a "cut in the shift allowance, holiday pay, career progression and insurance supplement, among others", as well as the creation of a "time bank and adaptability of schedules up to 12 hours a day that requires workers to work 12 consecutive hours".

"In 48 hours, they can force them to work without the workers' consent," he said, at the end of several protests in several private hospitals in Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, which took place in recent weeks.

The workers in question include cleaning staff, medical assistants and receptionists, according to the union leader.

In response to Lusa, APHP states that “it signed, in June, a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CCT) with the Union of Workers in the Services Sector (SITESE) and the Union of Senior Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technicians (SINDITE), both affiliated with the General Workers' Union (UGT)”, which “represents an average salary increase of 75 euros, for 9,500 workers, from 90 companies in the private hospital sector”.

"This new collective bargaining instrument reflects APHP's ongoing commitment to valuing healthcare professionals and ensuring stable employment relationships in the private hospital sector," said an official source from the employers' association.

According to the APHP, "the negotiation process took place in a climate of constructive dialogue and institutional responsibility and resulted in an agreement that ensures a balance between the legitimate interests of workers and the sustainability of private healthcare providers."

The STIHTRSN, integrated in the Federation of Workers in Agriculture, Food, Beverages, Hotels and Tourism of Portugal (FESAHT), affiliated with the CGTP-IN, states in a statement that the current collective labor agreement (CCT) for private hospitals “has existed since 1975 and it has always been FESAHT/CGTP-IN that has negotiated and signed all revisions” since then, adding that “the UGT unions have no representation in the sector”.

He also recalls that “the private hospitalization sector is experiencing an excellent economic situation, with 10.7 million consultations, 10% more than in 2023, 1.5 million emergencies, 5% more births, 15,092 births, a 15% increase in examinations and a 12% increase in X-rays, an 11.6% increase in revenue in 2024 compared to 2023, reaching a total of 2.5 billion euros”.