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Health strike
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Trade unions have called an indefinite strike since 27 January and every Tuesday to demand from the Ministry of Health a Framework Statute for all professionals

The Bureau aims to improve the working conditions of all workers in the National Health System, health and non-health, "without exception, without privileges and without distortions". They criticize the fact that the Ministry is negotiating the Statute in parallel with medical unions.

Press conference, Thursday. Photo: Satse.

Trade unions in the framework status negotiations (SATSE-FSES, CCOO, UGT, CSIF and CIG-Saude) have called for an indefinite strike for SNS workers from 27 January and every Tuesday "as long as necessary".

This has been advanced by the Secretary of State for the Health Sector of UGT Public Services, Begoña Ballell, at a press conference at which these organizations have denounced that the Minister of Health, Monica García, has no intention of reaching "an agreement that is fair, useful and beneficial to all workers, without exception or privilege among professional groups ".

"The lack of response and ministerial paralysis are pushing public health down a path of no return," he has criticized. "Not only has it failed to make progress, but it has hindered and prolonged the negotiation process, maintaining and nurturing a parallel process with organizations outside the negotiating area, ignoring those of us who represent 100% of the statutory staff of the National Health System," Ballell has reproached.

Health unions (including medical unions represented only through the Federation of Health and Education Unions (FSSA)) have criticized the minister's "disloyalty" to the "parallel" negotiations with the medical unions CESM and SMA

It should be noted that the latter unions have called for a four-day strike next week, but against the framework statute, because they believe that doctors deserve a separate agreement outside it.

No progress in the negotiation

According to Balell, since the reopening of the process almost three years ago, the last meeting was held on 6 November and since then the institutions have had no news of any progress in the text beyond what the media have been reporting.

"The negotiation of a law would naturally take all that time, but the Ministry's position is unfair to the scope of the negotiation," said Sats President Laura Villaseñor.

The Bureau wishes to improve the working conditions of all staff of the National Health System, health and non-health personnel, "without exception, without privileges or distortions", but the Ministry of Health "says nothing clearly about issues such as early retirement, professional reclassification or 35-hour working hours".

Villaseñor admits that a strike is never "pleasant for anyone," but "the circumstances and development of the negotiation" have forced them to make that decision. 

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