The strike, called by the Portuguese Nurses' Union (SEP), started at 08:00 and continues until midnight, but also covers the period between 08:00 on the 8th and midnight on the 9th.

The strike includes nurses who work at the ULS in the Algarve, which includes the public hospitals of Faro, Portimão and Lagos and the Central, Barlavento and Sotavento Health Center Groups.

The union demands that “retroactive payments since 2018 be paid, that all nurses be given a ‘good’ rating in their performance evaluations and that holidays and weekly rest days worked be paid at 200%”, and they justify calling the strike with the lack of response to the demands that were presented to the Board of Directors of the ULS do Algarve in a meeting on February 19.

“We were astonished to receive this strike notice from the SEP, considering that the Human Capital Service has been working hard and holding regular talks,” according to the Algarve ULS administration.

The hospital administration accused the union of "lying" by saying that there had been no further contact since February, ensuring that there had been a meeting between the parties on March 17.

The Algarve ULS also argued that the payment of retroactive payments since 2018 to "all nurses", demanded by the union, conflicts with the current legal framework, which only allows payment with effect from January 1, 2022.