The agreement between the doctors and Salut is closer, but has not yet been finalized

Also today, the union Metges de Catalunya succeeded in reaching an agreement with Salut to cancel the strike planned for the next few days. February 1, 2 and 3. Both parties will continue to negotiate this Tuesday at 9 a.m. the morning. The positions, recognized by the union itself, are as follows are getting closer and closer and tomorrow we will approach “more technical” questions, but nothing has been closed yet.

Therefore, for the moment, the stop is maintained for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday throughout the Catalan public health system, both in hospitals and in primary care centers (CAP). Doctors have already gone on strike last week, doctors in hospitals and 25 and 26, with a more than considerable follow-up.

The union is asking for two basic things: to set up a limitation of doctors’ diaries and a salary supplement in the payroll apart from the rest of the health workers, who have already signed the concerted health agreement (the Siscat) and from which Metges de Catalunya has distanced itself. And the union is well on its way to achieving it.

“For us, it was essential to establish a framework with a few very explicit guarantees, without any escape. This led to several adjournments [en la reunión de este lunes]. After the last, we finally have a framework where all rights are guaranteed. judicial aspects “, underlined the general secretary of the union, Xavier Lléonart, this Monday after half past seven in the evening.

Once this point was reached, Metges de Catalunya and the “conselleria” continued to discuss the issue of access to information. ” contents “. “We established the diary [médica] and in this sense we have set a date for tomorrow for meetings of a more technical nature,” he acknowledged.

Monday’s meeting also covered the following points “economic measures”. “We looked for a document that would be comfortable for all parties and that would find a adapted and essential guarantees”, Lleonart explained. However, he assured that this week’s strike will continue, as well as that of the planned mobilizations by the union at a later date. “Let’s take one game at a time. » said Mr. Lleonart, urging journalists to wait until tomorrow to find out if the work stoppage will be called off.

“Under no circumstances are the negotiations broken off But there is still a lot of work to do. We don’t rule anything out. For now, the strike remains in place: there is no written agreement on paper that would lead us to call off the strike,” he said.

Last week’s strike

The doctors’ strike in Catalonia started last week. On the first day, January 25, some 9,500 doctors took to the streets to demonstrate, and the following day, around 5,000. However, on both days, the strike had a similar echo in hospitals and CAPs: 70% according to the union and 30% according to Salut.

The strike was called by some 25,000 doctors in the public health system of Catalonia, both in hospitals and in health centres. This is the second big strike in the last four years in Catalonia: in 2018 there was already another one, but only… primary care.

Doctors denounce today the same situation as at the time: impossible diaries when there is not enough time to attend to all the patients, and working conditions, according to the union, could be improved. They also complained about the lack of doctors: over the next decade some 9,000 doctors will retire in Catalonia, without being replaced.