Overview
- Turnout figures are sharply disputed, with Galicia’s health service reporting 20% participation in the morning shift as union O’MEGA claimed 70%, and officials confirming 205 surgeries were canceled that morning.
- Regional authorities enforced high minimum services, including 100% staffing for emergencies, ICUs, dialysis and oncology, leaving routine care reduced and many consultations deferred.
- Unions demand a separate medical statute, direct interlocution, regulated and voluntary on-call shifts, a 35-hour week, upgraded A1+ professional classification, improved pay and pathways for earlier retirement.
- Health Minister Mónica García asked autonomous communities to state positions on the unions’ demands, arguing several issues fall outside the Estatuto Marco’s scope even as the ministry touts a pre-agreement with broader health unions.
- Leaders signal possible escalation to an indefinite national strike from February if talks fail, with some regional groups skipping this week’s action yet backing stronger joint measures next month.