The first meeting is scheduled for 10 am at the Ministry of Health with the Independent Union of Physicians (SIM), followed by a meeting with the National Federation of Physicians (FNAM) scheduled for 11 am. In the afternoon, the new ministerial team will meet with the unions representing nurses and with the National Union of Pharmacists.

Salary increases, better working conditions, and career progression are some of the demands that the unions had already been claiming from the previous ministerial team and that they will bring back to the negotiating table with the new Government.

SIM's demands include restoring the 15% salary increase for physicians by 2026, completing the interim agreement reached with the previous Government, and career progression.

FNAM will bring to the negotiating table 10 points that it considers fundamental to "resolve the urgency of the crisis in the NHS", in order to retain physicians and ensure the provision of health care, including the reinstatement of the normal base weekly working period of 35 hours and the updating of the salary scale, the reinstatement of the medical internship as a category for entering the medical career and the implementation of progression in the remunerative positions in each category and streamlining of competitions.

The Portuguese Nurses Union (SEP) argues, in a statement, that "it is imperative" to agree at the first meeting "on the matters and a negotiating calendar, which aims at the moments in which each of the demands will be resolved".

The enhancement of the nursing career is one of the priority issues for SEP, in addition to resolving the various injustices that continue to exist as a result of the counting of points for nurses.

The five nursing unions that called off a five-day strike, scheduled for the end of April and the beginning of May, following the minister's willingness to start negotiations, are also demanding a salary and career review.

The Nurses Union, the Independent Union of Nursing Professionals, the Democratic Union of Nurses of Portugal, the Independent Union of All United Nurses and the National Union of Nurses also demand a "fair, transparent and feasible" evaluation and performance model.

In the meeting with the supervisory authority, the National Union of Pharmacists (SNF) will also demand the updating of the salary scales, the full counting of the service time in the NHS for promotion and career progression, the adequacy of the number of pharmacists to the needs of the public service and the recognition by the Ministry of Health of the specialist title.

The Minister of Health stated, on Saturday, that she "has no limits a priori" in the negotiations with the unions, admitting that she is still unaware of the demands of these health professionals.

"The unions, in the meetings we are going to have, will present their list of demands and we, with all seriousness and loyalty, will discuss these lists of demands, which we do not yet know at this time", said Ana Paula Martins.

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