Health Ministry signs agreement for new Framework Statute without the support of medical unions

Barcelona"It's been years, many meetings, many negotiation sessions, and a very complex text that hadn't been touched in 22 years," declared a relieved Health Minister Mónica García after announcing on Monday the agreement for a new Framework Statute for healthcare professionals. Several labor unions have signed the agreement, but not the medical unions. The Framework Statute is the law that regulates the working conditions of healthcare professionals throughout Spain, and its update has been one of Minister García's priorities this legislative term. There was a lot of back and forth between unions and management, strikes, and threats to end up putting the text in a drawer.Finally, an agreement has been reached with the unions SATSE-FSES, CCOO, UGT, and CSIF. However, the text—which must be approved by the Council of Ministers and subsequently processed as a law in the Congress of Deputies and the Senate—is flawed from the start, since It does not have the support of medical unionsThey have repeatedly demanded a single collective bargaining agreement that exclusively protects the working conditions of doctors. In fact, the national strike committee, comprised of the Spanish Confederation of Medical Unions (CESM), the Andalusian Medical Union (SMA), Doctors of Catalonia (MC), the Association of Doctors and Higher Graduates of Madrid (AMYTS), the Basque Medical Union (SME), and the Basque Country Medical Union (O'MEGA), has already announced a monthly strike day starting in February. The agreed-upon text ends 24-hour on-call shifts and reduces them to 17 hours, limits the weekly working hours to 45, regulates rest periods, and recognizes the right to work-life balance, among other improvements. "This is the broadest agreement reached to date for a statute of this kind in our national health system," the minister asserted, thanking the union representatives for their commitment, responsibility, and loyalty. García also highlighted the more than 60 meetings held to shape this agreement and expressed confidence that it will be approved, even though it must go through Congress and the Senate for processing.

Calendar

Thus, the document will go to the Council of Ministers for its first review, which will authorize the formal start of its processing. From that point, the required reports will be requested from the ministries with affected responsibilities, including Finance, Economy, Civil Service, and Social Security, and the Government's Delegate Commission for Economic Affairs (CDGAE) will be reviewed. Subsequently, it will be approved in a second review by the Council of Ministers and sent to the Congress of Deputies for legislative processing. The Minister has already stated that she hopes the Framework Statute can be approved before the end of the legislative term.

"I hope there's enough time. It's a very carefully crafted document, and as some unions have already stated, we hope it won't be distorted, because it reflects the demands of healthcare professionals over the past 20 years," the minister declared, urging political groups to show vision and secure the document's passage during this legislative session. "We hope that, despite the parliamentary complexities we face, the political groups will also show vision and be able to empathize not only with healthcare professionals but also with patients," she concluded.