Medical unions put indefinite strike on hold as Spain heads to the polls

Doctors have postponed the planned October 28 walkout, but warn it could be back on the table after the elections

Spain's doctors have put their planned indefinite strike on hold after the calling of early general elections, although the unions behind the action have made it clear that the dispute is far from over. The strike was due to begin on Wednesday October 28, following months of protests over proposed changes to the Estatuto Marco, which sets out key employment conditions for healthcare professionals in Spain. The unions announced the postponement on Wednesday October 7.

The decision follows the announcement of a general election for November 29. The unions argue that there is currently no government with the authority to negotiate their demands. Rather than asking doctors to commit to an open-ended strike while there is little prospect of negotiations moving forward, the Strike Committee says it makes more sense to wait for the next government to take shape.

Importantly for patients, this means the planned strike from October 28 will not now go ahead as originally scheduled. However, the unions stress that the strike itself has not been cancelled and could be reactivated if the next government fails to address their concerns.

The main organisations involved are the Confederación Española de Sindicatos Médicos (CESM), the Sindicato Médico Andaluz (SMA) and the Sindicato Médico de Euskadi (SME).

Doctors still want their own employment framework

At the heart of the dispute is the proposed reform of the Statute Marco, which covers working conditions for staff across Spain's National Health System. The medical unions want doctors and other medical professionals to have their own specific regulatory framework and a separate negotiating table. They are also calling for changes to compulsory on-call shifts, retirement arrangements and the professional classification system, which they say should properly reflect doctors' training and level of responsibility.

The unions have described the collapse of the current legislative process as a success for their campaign. They argue that the proposed reform can no longer continue through the current Parliament and would have to go through the legislative process again if a future government decided to bring it back.

The Strike Committee says it will now take its demands to the government that emerges from the November election and is calling on political parties to set out their positions on doctors' working conditions in their election programmes.

For now, doctors won't be walking out indefinitely on October 28. But the unions have left the door firmly open to another strike if the next government doesn't give them the answers they are looking for.

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