On Friday, a new wave of protests erupted among healthcare workers in Spain. Doctors from various regions of the country once again suspended their work to express dissatisfaction with proposed changes to labor laws regulating their profession. The protests spread to dozens of cities, while in Madrid a group of medical professionals marched from the parliament building to the Ministry of Health.
The largest professional associations, including the Confederation of Medical Trade Unions and the Andalusian Medical Union, organized the demonstrations. Other influential organizations representing the medical community also joined the cause. The main demands of the protesters are the creation of a distinct legal status for doctors, separate from other healthcare system workers, as well as the introduction of a fair system for classification and accounting of working hours. Particular focus is placed on issues of overtime, rest periods, and balancing work with personal life. Additionally, medical professionals insist that on-call shifts be included in pension calculations.
The Ministry of Health, for its part, disagrees with the unions’ proposals. The department believes that a separate law specifically for doctors could lead to chaos and inequality within the system. Officials stress that some of the demands are beyond their authority and fall under general labor laws and decisions of regional governments. In its reform proposal, the ministry suggests capping the work week at 48 hours, including on-call shifts, and prohibiting shifts longer than 17 hours.
Despite three years of negotiations, the parties have not reached a compromise. The latest meeting this week produced no results, and the ministry does not intend to withdraw its version of the reform, which already takes into account proposals from autonomous communities. Doctors believe that the new rules worsen their conditions compared to previous drafts of the document.
This is already the second major doctors’ strike this year—the previous one took place in June and was the first in the past five years. Professional associations insist that fair working conditions are essential to maintain a high standard of medical care and retain specialists in the system. Other unions representing healthcare workers have joined the protest, also demanding the continuation of negotiations and a review of the disputed points in the reform.
