Doctors plan open-ended strike in Spain from October

Doctors in Spain could begin an open-ended strike from mid-October. The Spanish Confederation of Medical Unions, CESM, will ask its strike committee on Thursday to approve the action. No start date has yet been set.

CESM general secretary Víctor Pedrera announced the planned escalation at a Tuesday press conference in Madrid. The dispute centres on the Framework Statute bill, a proposed law setting employment rules for healthcare staff.

Strike vote due on Thursday

The strike committee meets at 17.00 on Thursday. CESM expects support from the Andalusian Medical Union, Metges de Catalunya, the Association of Doctors and Senior Graduates of Madrid, the Basque Doctors’ Union and the Independent Galician Union of Medical Specialists.

The bill is already moving through the Congress of Deputies after approval by the Council of Ministers. Pedrera said the union’s demands remain unchanged, even though it must now press its case beyond the Health Ministry.

Union targets Parliament and Europe

CESM will ask parliamentary groups opposed to the bill to submit a full amendment that would send it back to the Health Ministry. Its legal team also believes parts of the proposal breach European and safety rules, and the union plans legal action.

Next month, CESM will take its demands to a meeting of the European Federation of Salaried Doctors, where it represents Spain, with the aim of raising them before the European Commission. The union is seeking a separate statute for doctors, a 35-hour week, compensation for extra hours, voluntary on-call shifts, changes to professional grades and pension reform.

CESM president Miguel Lázaro acknowledged that an open-ended strike would cause greater harm to patients.

Topics: Court cases · Strikes · Jobs & labour · Health · Politics

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com