Spanish doctors begin final strike week before summer, warn of indefinite action in September
More than 600 doctors gathered in Madrid as the fifth and final week of a national strike against healthcare reforms began, with unions saying they will escalate to indefinite strike after the summer break.
Fifth week of protest
Spain's doctors launched their fifth and final week of strike action before the summer on 15 June, the latest in a series of walkouts against the government's draft Estatuto Marco reform. The protest outside the Ministry of Health in Madrid drew around 600 physicians from across the country, according to union estimates.
The coordinating committee comprises six medical unions: the Confederación Española de Sindicatos Médicos (CESM), Sindicato Médico Andaluz (SMA), Metges de Catalunya (MC), Asociación de Médicos y Titulados Superiores de Madrid (AMYTS), Sindicato Médico de Euskadi (SME), and Sindicato de Facultativos de Galicia Independientes (O'MEGA). They have pledged to respect the summer months out of concern for already overstretched staffing, but plan to announce the format of an indefinite strike and further measures in September if no progress is made.
The disputed Estatuto Marco
The draft legislation was approved by the Council of Ministers on 2 June, based on a January agreement between the Ministry of Health and four other unions (SATSE-FSES, FSS-CCOO, UGT, CSIF). The current statute that governs health workers' conditions has not been updated in 23 years.
The striking physicians demand a separate framework statute that recognises their specific training, responsibilities, and working patterns. They want voluntary on-call shifts that count towards retirement and offer better pay, as well as a professional classification that reflects their qualifications.
Se trata del conflicto sanitario más grande de las dos últimas décadas.
Political deadlock
Last week, Health Minister Mónica García convened the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System (CISNS) to discuss the reform and the strike with the autonomous communities. The meeting ended without agreement after the regions refused to vote on items that addressed the medical professionals' demands.
The autonomous communities have decided to reject committing to these demands that would solve the conflict. Today the communities could have unblocked the conflict by taking on their part of the responsibilities (...) and they have decided not to, they have decided to look the other way.
Union leaders have called for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to intervene directly, arguing that the Ministry has not presented any new proposals and that the negotiations remain frozen.
Impact on patients
Since the strikes began, more than three million medical acts (appointments, consultations, and procedures) have been cancelled, the unions acknowledged. Miguel Lázaro, president of CESM, said at the Madrid rally: "There are three million patients affected during the strike days, to whom we apologise."
In Castilla-La Mancha, where around 7,500 doctors were called to strike, the regional health service (Sescam) recently agreed to restore the career progression scheme for physicians. However, local union president Juan José García Cruz remains critical, accusing the regional government of years of broken promises and insisting that doctors must negotiate their own working conditions separately from other health workers.
Looking ahead
The public consultation phase of the Estatuto Marco bill is expected to conclude by the end of June, after which the text will begin its parliamentary journey. With the Ministry holding firm and the unions promising a hot autumn, the standoff shows little sign of resolution before the summer pause.
