The workers of the bioinstitutes of the Basque Country demand the same salary conditions as those of Osakidetza

The scientific and technical staff of the Basque Health Research Institutes have demanded the same wage and working conditions as the staff of Osakidetza, who have been waiting for four years to comply with the Science Act in force since 2022, and have considered the latest proposal put forward by the directorates of the research centres and the Basque Government to be unacceptable.

That is why the workers of the bioinstitutes in the Basque Country have concentrated this Friday to denounce the situation and to make public their demands.

Implementation of 100% wage increases delayed until 2030

ELA has complained that the latest proposal provides for lower wages than managers and does not guarantee real equality with Osakidetza's professional categories, and also delays the application of 100% of wage increases until 2030.

According to the union, this timetable would exclude from the improvements groups of workers, such as pre-doctoral workers, whose contracts expire before that date.

ELA denounces that there is also unequal treatment in retroactive payments. In the case of management staff, they have agreed to apply economic improvements from January 2026; in the case of scientific and technical staff, however, they have not provided for retroactivity, so that the increases would only apply from the signing of the agreement.

ELA warns of the risk of losing research talent

In the opinion of the trade union, this situation results in repeated non-compliance with State and autonomous regulations establishing the obligation to equate with the conditions of personnel in the public health system.

ELA also recalls that the Basque Government is primarily responsible for these health research institutes, so it cannot justify the lack of progress on budgetary grounds.

The union warns that job and wage insecurity can damage scientific excellence, hinder the maintenance of talent and jeopardize the future of public health research in the Basque Country.

It therefore calls for an urgent correction of the proposal to include real equality with Osakidetza, a fair wage structure, a clear date of retroactivity and guarantees for the maintenance of all jobs.