Public doctors, called to go on an indefinite strike

Unlike other unions, which have postponed sectoral strikes following the calling of elections and the general strike on November 11th, Metges de Catalunya is maintaining theirs. As of today, the majority union for doctors in Catalonia is calling on medical professionals in the public health system to hold an indefinite strike, in the twelfth call to action this year for the collective.

In parallel, the union has called for a demonstration in Barcelona that will begin at 9 am on Avinguda Diagonal, near the Zona Universitària metro stop, to travel along Gran Via de Carles III and Travessera de les Corts until reaching the Department of Health premises.

Among the main demands of the doctors are the reduction of the working day to 35 hours and the improvement of remuneration for on-call duties, which should also be voluntary and count towards retirement, the elimination of 24-hour on-call shifts, and the guarantee of having more time to visit patients at the CAPs.

The Generalitat has set minimum services to guarantee “normal operation” in hospitals, primary care centers (CAP), and urgent care centers (CUAP), as well as the Home and Support Care teams (PADES). In fact, the Government demands guaranteeing assistance especially in emergencies, ICUs, coronary, hemodialysis, neonatology, childbirth, and vital radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment areas, as well as urgent operations. Regarding the CAPs, on the first day of the strike, it will be necessary to ensure that 25% of the staff work, and afterwards, 33%.

More regional calls

A few weeks ago, the Medical and Faculty Union (UMYF) –of which Metges de Catalunya is a founding member– decided to postpone the sectoral strike, given that the main reason for the dispute (the draft bill of the Framework Statute) has fallen with the dissolution of the General Courts and “there is no interlocutor with the political and legislative capacity to address, negotiate and respond to the demands of the profession”.

In contrast, Metges de Catalunya argues that the Generalitat is not in a caretaker capacity and has the capacity to guarantee labor improvements, such as creating its own collective agreement. In the same way, unions from other autonomous communities have decided to maintain the strike calls, including those in the Valencian Community and Madrid.