The secretary general of Metges de Catalunya (MC), Xavier Lleonart, has reiterated that the union will maintain the indefinite doctors’ strike in Catalunya as long as the Conselleria de Salud of the Generalitat does not sit down to negotiate or until the Govern "calls elections".
He said this to the media in front of the headquarters of the Conselleria de Salud in Barcelona, after the protest held this Wednesday on the first day of stoppages, which brought together 400 people, according to the Guàrdia Urbana.
Lleonart maintained that "the best thing" the health minister, Olga Pané, can do is leave the post and added that, if the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, does not remove her, he could leave with her and bring elections forward.
He emphasized that "Minister Pané and President Illa have the dubious honor of being the first who have an indefinite strike on the table".
An indefinite strike with broad territorial reach
This Wednesday is the first day of an indefinite strike by doctors in Catalunya, called by MC, with participation of 4.5%, according to data from the Conselleria de Salud.
The stoppages also extend to other autonomous communities: Catalunya, Madrid and Comunidad Valenciana began mobilizations this Wednesday, while Andalucía will begin on November 13 and Canarias started on October 16. Meanwhile, in several communities the calls were deactivated after the announcement of general elections on November 29.
Among the main demands are a specific agreement for the medical collective, the elimination of 24-hour shifts, the increase in resources and staff, as well as other improvements in labor conditions.
Objective: to generate uncertainty in the health system
Lleonart explained that the approach of an indefinite strike seeks for the health system to experience the "uncertainty" of not knowing who will support the stoppages or when, making it difficult for the management of the centers to schedule activity normally until the end of the conflict.
He advanced that, "being an indefinite strike, we will not follow the usual logic of holding one day of strike and calling a demonstration, because we would have to call a demonstration every day, but we will be announcing more mobilizations".
The position of the Conselleria de Salud
The Conselleria de Salud maintains that the call is part of a state-wide mobilization before the Ministry of Health and does not respond "to any decision by the Govern or to a cut in rights or a worsening of the working conditions of professionals in Catalunya", according to a statement.
The Departament maintains that labor issues must be addressed "within the legally established frameworks", that is, in collective bargaining agreements and in the sectoral table of the Institut Català de la Salut (ICS), and emphasizes that "a parallel negotiation cannot be opened to a strike while there is a agreement under negotiation". It also assures that it maintains its commitment to improve the conditions of physicians and to listen to demands that it considers legitimate.
In this line, it proposes a specific technical table within the framework of the Siscat agreement to address the labor aspects specific to the medical collective, an agreement reached with employers and unions. At the same time, in the Mesa de Diálogo it has presented initiatives to address organizational issues, including 24-hour on-call shifts.
Response from Metges de Catalunya
In relation to this statement, Lleonart has pointed out that he appreciates that the legitimacy of their demands is recognized, but has stressed that no one has sat down to negotiate with them: "Everything the statement says about negotiation mechanisms having been established is not true".
He has also valued that from the Departament it is stated that they are "capable" of transferring measures to the agreements, recalling that until now they had been told that there was no room, and has demanded that, if that is really the case, negotiations continue.
He has insisted on the need for a space of its own for dialogue outside the sectoral tables: "These negotiation tables are the ones that have allowed a doctor to work 48 hours while the rest work 35. They are the ones that have allowed a doctor to do 24 consecutive hours of work while the rest do 12".
"These tables do not represent us and, therefore, we have to make a new system in which the needs of the medical collective are represented and negotiated with the representatives of the doctors", he concluded.
Route of the march in Barcelona
The gathering began at 9 a.m. in the Zona Universitària of Barcelona and, starting at 9:45, the protesters descended along Diagonal avenue, which was closed in both directions.
The march has advanced to Plaça de la Reina Maria Cristina and has continued along Gran Via de Carles III and Travessera de les Corts, to arrive at the headquarters of the Conselleria de Salud around 11:30 a.m.
During the route, banners have been displayed with slogans such as "Tanta espera ens desespera" and "Menys corbates i més bates", and chants have been shouted such as "A tu, a tu, a tu també t'afecta" and "Pané, ¿pa qué?, Pané, pa ná", as well as "Illa, Illa, Illa, sit down in the chair".
Minute of silence for the victims of Toledo
In the middle of the demonstration, upon learning of the Toledo rail accident, the doctors have observed a minute of silence in memory of the victims.
In his statements, Lleonart has shown his consternation and has conveyed condolences to the deceased and their families, in addition to sending a message of support to all the deployed personnel, including the healthcare workers, who "surely are leaving their skin".