Trade unions maintain Friday's strike in Osakidetza and the Basque Government sets minimum services

The unions SATSE, ELA, LAB, CCOO and UGT have maintained in Osakidetza the strike called for Friday, October 30. According to the unions, there has not been enough progress in negotiating the new agreement on working conditions. They have asked the management of Osakidetza to make concrete proposals, including awage proposal , and to show the real will to resolve the conflict.

On the other hand, the Basque Government has set minimum services for tomorrow's strike. In December there will also be another four days of strike: 9, 10, 11 and 14. Emergency services, Continuous Care Points (PACs) and 100% of regular staff will work in emergencies.

Trade unions report no salary proposal from Osakidetza

Following the meeting of the Sectoral Bureau held this Wednesday in Vitoria-Gasteiz, the five trade unions have confirmed that they will maintain the timetable for mobilisation, considering that the issues dealt with so far require real and significant progress, and have warned that the changes made so far are insufficient.

The unions have described it as "unacceptable" that Osakidetza has not yet put forward a salary proposal, especially now that the price of life is constantly rising.

Furthermore, they have recalled that more than 17 years have passed without a complete renewal of the agreement regulating working conditions, and have therefore called for improvements in working hours, permits, measures to reconcile work and personal life, wages and other working conditions, which must affect all Osakidetza staff.

Heavy workload and lack of staff

The trade unions believe that the negotiation should address structural problems, such as the high workload resulting from patient care, difficulties in reconciling work and personal life, and insufficient substitutions to fill staff gaps.

They consider it essential to improve working conditions in order to provide safe and quality care to the public, calling for a public health system with sufficient staff and calling for a halt to privatisations.

The five unions have warned that they will continue to mobilize as long as there is not enough progress in negotiating, and have called on Osakidetza workers to join Friday's strike.

Guarantee 100% minimum services in case of emergency

The Order signed on 26 October by the Second Vice-President of the Government and Counsellor for Economy, Labour and Employment, Mikel Torres, specifies the minimum services of the strike days.

Hospitals shall have the same number of regular staff as on public holidays, ensuring the care of hospitalized patients, emergency services, kitchens, food distribution and cleaning necessary for their operation.

They shall guarantee 100% of all dialysis processes and pre-programmed cancer treatments, as well as other procedures that cannot be delayed and whose delay may endanger the lives or health of patients, including the activity of day hospitals for oncohematology, hemodynamics, ictus units, intensive care units, neonatology, deliveries and the activity of the Basque Centre for Human Transfusions and Tissues.

In Primary Care, services will be provided on Saturdays, with the usual staff on that day, with 100 per cent of emergency and PAC staff, and 50 per cent of regular staff will be provided by the telephone services of integrated health organizations (OSIs).

Five days of strike in October and December

The strike on 30 October will be the first of the five strike days organized by SATSE, ELA, LAB, CCOO and UGT.

Following the strike on Friday, the mobilizations will continue in December: on the 9th in Álava, on the 10th in Bizkaia and on the 11th in Gipuzkoa. The last day of strike will be 14 December and will take place throughout Osakidetza.

Each day of strike will begin at 22:00 the day before and end at 22:00 the same day of strike.