Today, the Spanish Ministry of Health and the labor unions within the Negotiation Framework for the new Marco Statute reached a pre-agreement<\/strong>, which will lead to the suspension of planned strikes for January<\/strong>. This development aims to provide stability for the ongoing processing of the new statute, as reported by the Ministry.<\/p>\n The department led by M\u00f3nica Garc\u00eda successfully established a roadmap with several influential unions, including SATSE -FSES, FSS-CCOO, UGT, CSIF, and CIG-Sa\u00fade<\/strong>. These unions primarily represent nursing and non-physician staff and have publicly expressed their endorsement of the draft for the new Marco Statute, ignoring calls from certain autonomous communities under the Popular Party to retract their support.<\/p>\n One of the key commitments in this agreement is the introduction of a standard workweek of 35 hours<\/strong>, which will be applied according to terms negotiated based on the operational and healthcare needs of various health services.<\/p>\n Despite this pre-agreement, the Grouping for a Medical and Faculty Statute (APEMYF)<\/strong>, which includes 16 medical organizations such as AMYTS, insists on proceeding with a strike scheduled for January 14 and 15. \u00c1ngela Hern\u00e1ndez, the Secretary General of AMYTS and spokesperson for APEMYF, remarked that while the reversion to a 35-hour workweek is welcomed, it does not benefit physicians when on-call hours are calculated, leaving them with workweeks extending up to 45 hours. Such conditions, which she describes as \u201csemi-slavery,\u201d drive the decision to continue with protests.<\/p>\n The suspension of actions<\/strong> hinges on a thorough review of the commitments made by the Ministry. Unions will analyze the agreement’s details to ensure they meet the polled standards from the meeting. Fernando Hontangas, the health representative for CSIF, stated that the unions might consider canceling future strikes if today’s agreed textual commitments are reflected in the new statute.<\/p>\n Union leaders confirmed the pre-agreement while expressing their hopes for further discussions with the Ministry of Health to finalize an agreement before December 23. Hontangas underlined that significant progress has been made on crucial issues that were previously outstanding.<\/p>\n The unions, including SATSE -FSES, FSS-CCOO, UGT, CSIF, and CIG-Sa\u00fade, emphasized that confirming these agreements in a new Marco Statute will mark a significant milestone in negotiations that have been underway for nearly three years, noted for their complexity in improving the working conditions for all statutory personnel<\/strong> in the National Health System (SNS).<\/p>\n Achieving a conciliatory point aims to initially halt protest agendas set for early January, particularly following four days of protests in the previous week. The Spanish Confederation of Medical Unions (CESM)<\/strong> highlighted the success of the doctors’ demands, noting significant public support as evidence that the fight against the draft regulations will persist.<\/p>\n The advocacy campaign started a year ago, which has included regional demonstrations and significant public gatherings, such as the October 3 and June 13 strikes and a major march from the Congress of Deputies to the Ministry of Health on November 15.<\/p>\n In addition to union mobilizations, professional representatives have also shown support, notably through the Medical Profession Forum<\/strong>, aligning multiple organizations including the General Council of Official Medical Colleges (CGCOM)<\/strong>, the Federation of Scientific Medical Associations of Spain (FACME)<\/strong>, and the National Conference of Medical Faculty Deans (CNDFM)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This collaborative approach underscores the urgency and complexity of negotiations for better working conditions in the healthcare system, reaffirming the unions’ resolve to continue their advocacy efforts.<\/p>\nBackground of the Agreement<\/h3>\n
Divisions Among Medical Professionals<\/h3>\n
Conditions for Suspension of Strikes<\/h3>\n
Looking Forward: Potential Final Agreement<\/h3>\n
Impact of Ongoing Protests<\/h3>\n