Government Approves New Statute for Healthcare Workers Amid Massive Strike. The cabinet has launched a reform of the status of medical professionals, despite protests from 177,000 doctors. The new law changes employment and shift regulations, but does not satisfy the unions. Healthcare workers continue their strike.
In Spain, the Council of Ministers has approved a draft of the new Statute for staff of the national health services. The decision comes amid an ongoing nationwide strike supported by more than 177,000 doctors. The medical community opposes the reform, asserting that their key demands have not been met.
The document, initiated by the Ministry of Health under the leadership of Mónica García, aims to update regulations that have been in place for over 20 years. Authorities claim the reform is designed to increase job stability, improve working conditions, and simplify staffing planning in the healthcare system. However, doctors’ unions argue that the changes do not address their main concerns, and are continuing their series of strikes, with the next one scheduled for June 15–19.
According to government spokesperson Elma Saiz, many issues related to salaries, staffing, and work organization fall under the jurisdiction of the autonomous communities. The Ministry of Health, for its part, emphasizes that the new law establishes basic rights and guarantees for all regions, while specific details will be determined locally.
The draft law provides for a series of changes: a limit on the maximum duration of temporary contracts to three years, mandatory competitive recruitment for permanent positions at least once every two years, as well as compensation for abuse of temporary employment. A state personnel register is introduced to coordinate human resources policy.
Regarding working hours, a weekly limit of 45 hours is set, which is lower than the European maximum. For doctors on duty, there is a limit of 17 hours, but it can be extended up to 24 hours with the worker's consent and under certain conditions. Mandatory rest periods between shifts are established, as well as the right to flexible schedules for employees with children under 12 or dependents. Medical workers over 55, pregnant and breastfeeding women are entitled to exemptions from night shifts and on-call duties.
The law specifically spells out protection against discrimination and aggression, as well as the right to 'disconnect' outside working hours. Personnel are divided into groups according to education level, while research staff have a separate category requiring a doctoral degree and allowing the combination of scientific and clinical work.
Despite statements from the Ministry of Health about modernizing the system, representatives of medical unions call the reform 'bad news' for healthcare workers. In their opinion, the project does not solve the problem of 24-hour shifts, but merely formally limits them, leaving loopholes for the continuation of the practice. The Organización Médica Colegial also expresses regret over the lack of consensus and hopes that during the parliamentary review, the proposals of the professional community will be taken into account.
An extraordinary meeting of the Interterritorial Cooperation Council is expected in the coming days, where the possibility of creating a separate negotiation platform for doctors and clarifying the distribution of powers between the Ministry of Health and the regions will be discussed. Madrid Health Minister Fatima Matute has already called the draft law 'regressive' and emphasized that such reforms should be developed jointly with professionals, not in isolation from their opinion.
The context of the situation highlights that in Spain, issues of reforming state institutions and distributing powers between the central government and the regions remain highly relevant. Similar disputes have recently arisen in other areas, for example, when changing the rules for forming electoral lists in Catalonia — more on this can be found in the article on the internal conflict in ERC.
For reference: in Spain, the healthcare system is decentralized, and the autonomous communities have broad powers over staffing and funding management. In recent years, issues such as doctors' workloads, staff shortages, and working conditions have regularly sparked heated debates between unions and authorities. The new Statute could become a starting point for further changes; however, its final fate will depend on parliamentary debates and the positions of regional governments.
