Striking healthcare technicians protest outside Parliament
Unions expect to receive an offer of improved conditions this week
Healthcare technicians on indefinite strike since January 8 gathered outside the Catalan Parliament in Barcelona on Wednesday morning to demand an increase in salary and better conditions.
The Federation of Healthcare Technicians and Professionals (FTPS), made up of the Nursing Technicians' Union (SAE) and the State Union of Senior Healthcare Technicians (SIETeSS), expect to receive a proposal from the Catalan health department detailing organizational changes and a new pay offer by the end of the week.
Unions warn that they will not call off their strike if their demands relating to the latest agreement on working conditions for Catalan Health Institute (ICS) staff are not met.
The healthcare technicians accuse the department of sabotaging the strike by increasing the obligatory minimum number of staff required to work while it is ongoing.
Under the slogan "If the ICS does not pay, strike, strike, strike," healthcare technicians gathered outside Parliament at 8am, chanting "Without technicians there are no diagnoses" and "Balcells, resign," referring to the Catalan health minister.
Union leader optimistic
The regional secretary of the SAE union, Cristian Monclús, said that they are not considering calling off the strike when nothing has been achieved yet.
He said that at a meeting on Monday with Balcells, the minister committed to put forward proposals relating to pay and organization.
Monclús criticized the third agreement of the Catalan Institute of Health (ICS), signed off by the Catalan government in December, for offering only €8 per month more to senior health technicians than the second agreement, implemented 17 years ago.
Despite everything, Monclús said he was "optimistic" about the proposals to be presented by the department. "Going on strike is the last thing we wanted to do, we want to go back to work," he said.
José Joaquin Duran of SIETeSS accused the department of "sabotaging" the strike, explaining that on Wednesday the obligatory minimum service was increased from 5 to 19 members of staff in some hospitals.
"We understand that the collapse [of services] is very potent, but what the department is doing is diminishing the strike and curtailing workers' right to strike," he said.
Minister defends agreement
In Parliament, Balcells defended the third ICS agreement, pointing out that it was signed by 13 of the 15 unions who took part in the talks, which didn't include the FTPS.
In 2023 the department put "€800m of improvements on the table" for healthcare staff, Balcells said.
One of Catalonia's nursing unions, Infermeres de Catalunya, also remains on indefinite strike.