Spanish health unions call indefinite strike from Jan 27

Health unions call indefinite Tuesday strikes starting January 27

Unions representing staff under the Framework Statute (SATSE-FSES, CCOO, UGT, CSIF, and CIG-Saúde) have announced an indefinite strike in the National Health System beginning January 27, repeating every Tuesday "as long as necessary." This action coincides with the final stages of negotiations for the new Framework Statute, which will define working conditions for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. The protest trinc a recent national doctors' strike held December 9–12 against the same statute, under the slogan "The profession has said enough."

Staff shortages as the backdrop

The conflict cannot be understood without acknowledging structural personnel shortages. Spain has half the number of nurses compared to the OECD average: 6.2 per 1,000 inhabitants versus 8.2, a figure that has worsened since last year. The Ministry of Health confirms a deficit of 100,000 nurses in Spain. Compounding this is the exodus of doctors: "They are driving us out of Spain," summarizes one of the slogans echoing through hospital corridors.

How much do Spanish healthcare workers earn?

Salary debates are central to the conflict. According to professional data, a radiology technician exposed to radiation earns just €1,400 net monthly. A hospital porter earns €1,200 net excluding seniority bonuses or night shifts, despite risks to their back, lumbar spine, and knees. Nurses earn €1,600 net. At the other extreme, in the Basque Health Service (Osakidetza), senior nurses with holiday and night supplements can reach €3,000; base salaries for ATS (auxiliary technical staff) without supplements hover around €38,000 annually, radiology technicians at €32,000, and auxiliary staff/porters at €26,000. Comparisons between autonomous communities remain highly contentious.

Working hours exceeding labor law limits

Spain abusa EU working time directives: medical residents (MIRs) exceed 62 weekly hours when the limit is 48. The Workers' Statute confirms it is illegal to start work less than 12 hours after finishing a shift. One gynecologist reported weeks of up to 80 hours during the health strike. "We just want to be doctors," she summarized. On-call hours pay barely over €10 net for residents, slightly more for specialists, with no pension contributions.

Political clash: Mónica García and the Framework Statute

Negotiations for the Framework Statute have become a battleground. Minister Mónica García allegedly retaliates against doctors by removing promised improvements from the draft, according to CESM, which states the latest version excludes the modest advances Sanidad had introduced in talks with the Strike Committee. "We were warned we either accept what’s offered or lose everything," union sources noted. While the Ministry acknowledges the 100,000-nurse shortfall, it remains inactive on working conditions.

Universal healthcare and costs of irregular migrants

The Council of Ministers approved the Universal SNS Bill, now before Congress. Estimates suggest primary care centers need 6,000 additional doctors to treat irregular migrants. Unions urge the Ministry to include them in "analyzing the problem" and ensure expanded coverage "does not neglect our population." Immigration costs the Canary Islands €30 million. The debate over who pays the bill is underway.

Privatization in the background

An audio recording reveals Torrejón Hospital rejects patients to increase profits. Ribera Group, which manages the facility, instructed managers to adjust operations to achieve a "four or five million" profit. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez tweeted: "This is the PP model: turning health into business and illness into an opportunity for enrichment. A CEO deciding people's lives—that is healthcare privatization. Longer waiting lists, higher profitability, greater injustice." The shadow of privatization looms over every strike call.

Nursing assistants and the rest of the chain

Nursing assistants (TCAE) mobilize across Spain this Thursday: "The patience of thousands of professionals has run out." The State Platform TCAE United for C1 organized simultaneous rallies outside regional health departments to denounce precarious working conditions. "Pascual perpetuates TCAE precarity by keeping them in a mismatched group and penalizing them with up to €300 less monthly," they allege. Healthcare shed 23,500 jobs in two months while hospitals remain saturated.

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The healthcare conflict shows no signs of short-term resolution. Indefinite Tuesday strikes, a February 8 demonstration by unions and neighborhood associations, and doctor protests in Barcelona—"Our healthcare will collapse like Rodalies did"—paint a picture of prolonged confrontation. Meanwhile, professionals continue asserting that vocation is not exploitation and that public healthcare is being dismantled piece by piece. The sticking point in analysis: nobody knows how many more professionals are needed to stop the system from creaking, nor who is willing to pay for them.