The Regional Secretary for Health conveyed in Angra do Heroísmo his availability to analyse with the Portuguese Nurses' Union, among other issues, the change in the workload of 40 to 35 weekly hours for nurses under individual employment contract.
 
"We will be waiting for a proposal from the union regarding the 35-hour and 40-hour workload. As for the restitution of wages, we agreed to meet within one month," said Rui Luís. He spoke at the end of a meeting with the Regional Board - Azores of the Portuguese Nurses' Union.
 
Rui Luís stressed that he aims to assess legal and economic implications before taking any decision.
 
This meeting also addressed the possible hiring of nurses. In this regard, the Regional Secretary stated that the assessment of nurses' needs, carried out by the Nurses' Association, together with the proposal of the Portuguese Nurses' Union will be the groundwork for the revision of these matters.
 
"Obviously, we are talking about a number of situations that will force services to regroup," added the Secretary for Health.