After Porto in July, the Minister of Science faces this Wednesday in Lisbon a new protest by scientists against precarious employment, which brings together several unions and organizations in a march between the ministry and parliament.
HE The “national demonstration against precariousness in science” begins at 2:30 p.m. with a rally in front of the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, It then heads towards the headquarters of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and ends next to the Assembly of the Republic.
The initiative is promoted by various structuresamong them the National Union of Higher Education (Snesup), the National Federation of Teachers (Fenprof), the Archeology Workers Union, the Organization of Scientific Workers, the Association of Scientific Researchers and the Association to Fight Precariousness – Inflexible Precarious .
In Porto, the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, faced the first protest by researchers against the precariousness of their work, on July 3, when the national science meeting was taking place.
Scientific work in Portugal is mainly carried out by researchers with scholarships or fixed-term employment contracts.
According to Snesup, who represents professors and researchers working in universities and polytechnic institutes, Only 15% of scientists with an employment contract are in their career, while the rest have precarious employment contracts.
“We need to create places to work”stated, in previous statements to Lusa, the president of Snesup, José Moreira, highlighting that there are scientists over 40 or 50 years old without a stable life.
The leader highlighted that This year, 1,100 vacancies were opened for scientific careers or university teachingwithin the framework of the FCT-Tenure program, co-financed by the Foundation for Science and Technology, but there are 2,000 researchers with “employment contracts that are ending.”
Fenprof complains “a permanent financing mechanism for recruitment for scientific research careers” and “consistent financing for the scientific employment of doctors.”
The scientific employment stimulus law of 2017 provides that, after the end of an employment contract for a maximum period of six years, researchers with a completed doctorate can access the career, but universities have resisted, claiming lack of financing.
Fernando Alexandre has been waving the flag of the new Scientific Research Career Statute to combat job insecurity in the sector.
The proposal for a new statute, approved by the Government on October 2, but which must still be evaluated and voted on in Parliament, provides for “indefinite hiring after a five-year trial period, in the case of assistants.” investigators, and three years, in the case of the principal investigator and the coordinating investigator.”
According to the diploma, the “application for the position of career researcher” is “open to all people who have completed a doctorate, regardless of the completion date.”
TO This Wednesday Snesup and Fenprof issued strike notices so that anyone who wants to be away from work can participate in the demonstration.
Lisbon had already been the scene of two protests against precariousness in science, but last year: on May 16, National Scientist’s Day, and on July 18, when the predecessor of the current minister, Elvira Fortunato, participated in a hearing parliamentary on the subject.
Source: Observadora
