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 Minister of Health, Mónica García, after announcing 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, CSIF, and CIG-Saúde for a new Framework Statute. However, the text, which will have to be approved by Congress, is flawed from the start, since It does not have the support of medical unionsThey have repeatedly stated their demand for a single collective agreement that focuses solely on 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 Medical Union (O'MEGA), has already announced a monthly strike day starting in February.

The preliminary agreement reached by the unions that did sign this Monday and the Ministry of Health at the end of last year It included measures such as promoting a standard 35-hour work week and access to partial retirement, as well as the possibility of early retirement for certain professions.