Fnam calls for action from DGERT to resume negotiations

The National Federation of Doctors (Fnam) has requested intervention from the Directorate-General for Employment and Labor Relations (DGERT) to resume negotiations on the Collective Labor Agreement, after the dialogue with the Ministry of Health was interrupted, it was announced this Tuesday.

Speaking to Lusa, the president of Fnam, Joana Bordalo e Sá, indicated that she will meet with public business entities (EPE) in the health sector at DGERT, in Porto, on July 1 , to “restart this negotiation process”.

“As [the minister] Ana Paula Martins did not comply with the rules of collective bargaining in 2024, and now at the beginning of 2025, despite Fnam having demanded this negotiation, it was not done with Fnam, and as such we activated DGERT for the negotiation process to begin, namely with regard to the Collective Labor Agreement”, he stated.

On March 10, Fnam met with the Ministry of Health for approximately two hours. At that time, the Ministry of Health denied that it was negotiating with Fnam, claiming that what was taking place was a conciliation process with local health units regarding collective labor regulations.

The government signed an agreement to revalue medical careers and salaries on December 30, 2024, but only with the Independent Doctors' Union (SIM). The federation activated the “available legal mechanisms” to ensure compliance with collective bargaining , claiming that the minister's refusal to negotiate with Fnam constituted “a serious violation of the Law”.

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Fnam sent official letters to DGERT and the Ministry of Labor, Solidarity and Social Security, as well as letters to the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic, demanding that Ana Paula Martins “comply with the law” and call on the federation and other entities involved for negotiations that would consider the counterproposals presented.

Joana Bordalo e Sá also recalled that she views the Government's Health Programme with “great apprehension”, considering that it does not foresee solutions to attract more doctors to the National Health Service (SNS).

“The solutions have to be very structural and have to start with serious negotiations with doctors. From this point of view, we continue with the solutions and we are available to meet and to be able to successfully carry out some solutions (…) that have to do with our career, with the valorization of the career and review of working conditions, so that we have more doctors”, he stressed.