Hapvida Fails to honour collective labour agreements in Brazil

On March 26-27, 2025, workers at the Hapvida Network in Belo Horizonte, together with SINDEESS and UNI Americas, launched a public action to demand that the company comply with the National Nursing Minimum Wage and respect the collective agreement (CCT) of hospitals with the Association of hospital employers (SINDHOMG).

The Nursing Minimum Wage Law (Law 14.434) was enacted on August 4, 2022, yet Hapvida remains the only healthcare company in Belo Horizonte that has failed to implement it. As a result, thousands of nursing professionals continue to be underpaid despite their critical role in patient care and the company’s success.
“It’s time for Hapvida to take its employees’ working conditions seriously,” said Cleusa Lopes, Director of SINDEESS and an employee at Lifecenter Hospital in Belo Horizonte. “A healthcare giant like Hapvida, generating billions in profit, should not be ignoring minimum wage laws and labour agreements.”

Beyond failing to comply with the nursing minimum wage, Hapvida has refused to adhere to the hospital sector’s collective labour agreement for hospital workers, opting instead for the group medicine agreement—one that typically offers lower salaries and fewer benefits. This comes despite Hapvida being the largest and most profitable private healthcare company in Brazil, reporting a record net profit of R$1.8 billion in 2024—a staggering 170 per cent increase from the previous year.

Workers Demand Action
During the protest, health workers placed stickers on their uniforms demanding Hapvida respect the Nursing Minimum Wage and the collective labour agreement. A petition was also circulated among employees across various departments—including pantry, kitchen, nursing, sanitation, and stretcher-bearing—calling on the company to comply with the law.

This demonstration is part of an escalating campaign in Belo Horizonte to address widespread labour violations at Hapvida. In December 2024, over 500 Hapvida employees signed a petition urging the company to honor the Nursing Minimum Wage and the SINDHOMG Collective Labour Agreement.

A Call for National Negotiations

SINDEESS and UNI Americas, together with unions organized under the UNISaúde Network, are pushing for Hapvida to engage in national negotiations to resolve broader issues, including moral harassment, excessive workloads, and the misuse of technology to increase work speed at the cost of quality patient care.
Hapvida employees in Belo Horizonte remain committed to their fight for fair wages and working conditions.

“We will continue this struggle until Hapvida sits down with our union alliance and engages in serious dialogue,” said Lucía Lindner, Regional Director of UNI Care Americas. “A workplace free from overwork, harassment, and underpayment benefits everyone—especially the patients who rely on quality care.”