The Health Minister, Mónica García, chose not to appear at the press conference after the Council of Ministers at which, after months of protests that have brought together doctors and healthcare workers from across the ideological spectrum, her new Framework Statute for staff in this sector, which is vital in any state, was unveiled.
It fell to the government spokesperson, Socialist minister Elma Saíz, to defend this openly unpopular measure, on the grounds, she said, that it is backed by the ‘main trade unions’, namely SATSE-FSES, CC.OO., UGT and CSIF, as opposed to the organisations that joined forces to protest against the text approved today, which still has to complete its passage through Congress.
Professionals are calling for a number of measures they do not see reflected in García’s reform. García is an anaesthetist and represents the minority wing of the government for Sumar, under Más Madrid’s quota. Among their demands are that the additional part of their shifts – on-call duties – should count towards Social Security contributions and that they should be entitled to an allowance for night work or compensatory rest days after several consecutive shifts, as already happens under agreements for the National Police or prison staff.
Healthcare workers are also demanding the creation of a specific A1 professional category for doctors, a maximum 35-hour working week (mornings on working days) and for any extra work to be deemed voluntary and paid. They likewise want the introduction of a voluntary early retirement scheme, either full or partial, and a ban on compulsory mobility.
The law, which updates the framework governing health and social care staff after two decades in force, cuts the maximum weekly working time to 45 hours, below the European average for the sector. Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz tried to push through a general cap of 37.5 hours a week for the whole population, down from the current 40, but the bill was voted down by right-wing parties last September.
For on-call duties, the maximum limit will be 17 hours of actual work, apparently reducing the current 24-hour shifts, but there is a catch: article 97 of the draft bill states that if adequate continuity of care cannot be guaranteed and ‘wherever there are organisational or care-related reasons to justify it, the maximum duration’ of the shift may be exceeded. The text also provides for the creation of a category of statutory research staff and work-life balance measures.
Far from being satisfied with the draft bill, representatives of the critical unions (CESM, SMA, Metges de Catalunya, AMYTS, SME and O'MEGA) have called a new nationwide rally for 15 June, at 12.00, outside the Health Ministry. They accuse theMinistry of pursuing a strategy of ‘delay, immobility and a total absence of proposals’.
Saíz argued that most of the demands still being raised are no longer the responsibility of the ministry: ‘It is the autonomous communities that have powers over pay, staffing levels, the organisation of services and a large part of the working conditions of healthcare professionals,’ said the minister, who is also in charge of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration.
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