It should be recalled that both sides signed a preliminary agreement on May 15 to call off the region-wide strikes that had been taking place for several months. The condition was to open a negotiation process with the Strike Committee over the following four months to assess and analyze the demands, with the aim of improving the working and pay conditions of medical professionals.
In this regard, their last meeting took place on August 7, and since then they have been waiting to be called in again. “They had told us they were going to summon us today or tomorrow, but at this point we have received no invitation and the deadline ends in October,” Ortín said.
In this situation, the unions warn that “if the course of the negotiations does not change in the coming days, we will be forced to take drastic measures.”
CAREER PROGRESSION AND ON-CALL DUTIES AMONG THE DEMANDS
Among the main regional demands is an improvement in career progression. Ortín maintains that Aragon still has not implemented level four and warns that this situation makes the region less attractive to doctors from other territories where higher levels exist. They are also calling for better pay for on-call duties because, according to Cems, Aragon is among the regions where on-call hours are paid the least.
The doctors are also seeking their own negotiating forum for specifically medical issues and for certain measures discussed at the national level to be transferred to Aragon’s area of responsibility. These include making certain additional working hours voluntary. “We are willing to engage, but to negotiate seriously,” Ortín said.
Alongside the regional dispute, doctors continue to pursue their national demands. The National Strike Committee has announced an open-ended strike in October, although its start date has yet to be set.
