With no prospects for stability, the succession of precarious relationships is the expected fate for many researchers who marched this Wednesday in Lisbon against the precariousness of the sector, in a protest that brought together hundreds of people.
“Alexandre, listen, precarious people are in struggle”, “We want stability like other professionals”, “In the academy, more democracy”: These and other slogans resonated from the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation to the Assembly of the Republic, in a march that lasted around two hours.
Scientific work in Portugal is carried out mainly by scholarship researchers or with a fixed-term employment contract and it was against this reality that a few hundred researchers headed to Lisbon.
Ana Patrícia Veloso is one of these examples. He started his PhD in Geography this year and what he envisions is a scientific career, but admits that the outlook is not optimistic, especially when he looks at his colleagues who have been in similar situations for longer.
“Unfortunately, In Portugal the situation of research careers is very precarious. and that is what brought me here, thinking about my future and the future of science,” he told Lusa, adding that he wants to contribute to science, but what he sees waiting for him “are grants after grants.”
The protest was promoted by several structures, including the National Union of Higher Education (Snesup), the National Federation of Teachers (Fenprof), the Union of Archeology Workers, the Organization of Scientific Workers, the Association of Scientific Researchers and the Association of the Fight against Precariousness – Inflexible Precarious. .
Through SNESup, José Moreira remembers that 85% of scientific workers have precarious employment, despite the fact that, at certain times, society does not hesitate to applaud their work.
“There are still people who think that science only advances in precarious conditions, That is to say, that researchers only investigate well if every two years they have to look for a new project that justifies their hiring, from a human and ethical point of view it is not reasonable,” highlighted the union president.
Regarding this vision, the leader of the BE, Mariana Mortágua, who joined the protest upon arriving at the Assembly of the Republic, considered that “it means seeing the world upside down.”
“The best thing we can say for the sake of research in Portugal is to tell researchers to be sure that their labor rights will be recognized,” he highlighted.
Rafael Almeida was another of the precarious researchers who attended the demonstration. Doctoral student in Physics major, denounces lack of protection in her employment situation.
“Looking at what comes from now on, in postdoctoral studies and research, the career opportunities are poor“, he lamented, considering that “it is much more difficult to remain in research than to escape the labor market.”
The lack of investment in science was another point of contention, with criticism of the funds planned for the State Budget for 2025 (OE2025) and demands for the executive to reserve 3% of GDP for the sector, in line with international recommendations.
“The Government has so far not shown the will to resolve this issue and the Assembly of the Republic needs to give a signal. The signal is, from now on, to include the necessary funds in the State Budget,” defended Tiago Dias, union leader of Fenprof.
On the other hand, Tiago Dias highlighted that the new Statute of the Scientific Research career, which the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, proposed to combat precarious employment in the sector, does not respond to the problem.
“People with 10, 20 and 30 years in the system, performing jobs, permanent functions that the institutions lack and that have advanced science in Portugal, are precarious. No sector in the country works with this level of precariousness,” he added.
The call to the deputies of the Assembly of the Republic was also responded to by Paula Santos, from the PCP, present at the end of the protest, who also criticized the OE2025 proposal, which according to her is “far below” the sector’s expectations. needs.
Livre, represented by spokesperson Rui Tavares, also expressed solidarity with scientific researchers, stressing that “the brains that are abroad only come if they see that the brains that we currently have in academia and in science are treated as they deserve and Unfortunately, at this time they are not.”
Source: Observadora
