O estatuto de “funcionário público” em debate

: das mudanças instituídas ao seu impacto no trabalho e nos trabalhadores

Abstract

Given the crisis that the country is facing and the recently introduced changes in Public Administration, which have been strongly contested, this study aims to describe the understanding of the perspective of the workers of the “Nucleus of Childhood and Youth” (NIJ) of the Social Security Institute, P.I., regarding their status of “civil servant”, their inherent working and employment conditions, as well as their health impacts. In order to answer the outlined research questions, a survey was developed based on a qualitative approach, with eight participants from NIJ, carrying out individual interviews and making use of content analysis software NVivo 9 as an aid to the analysis of the collected data. With this study it became evident that the current period is considered a critical period, revealing a growing dissatisfaction of workers towards work in the public sector and due to the changes introduced in the Public Administration, such as salaries reduction and increased contributions/taxes. However, these changes also had consequences at other levels, less visible and less mentioned on the society’s discussions. It should be noted, in particular, the impact they had on the working conditions and the implications in terms of health, highlighting the increased working hours, and the overcharge and excessive rhythm of work, among the most significant effects. Most workers of NIJ also notes an almost exclusive emphasis on quantitative criteria in the evaluation of their work, and also the absence of consideration of the intrinsic demands to their professional activity in the determination of the changes in the Public Administration, consequently, enhancing the perception of compromised professional achievement and yet the lack of recognition of their work.

Date of Award	3 Oct 2014
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Liliana Cunha (Supervisor)