Overview

• Thousands of public health workers held coordinated rallies outside hospitals in most regions on September 16–17 to oppose the current draft of the employment statute.
• Unions SATSE, CCOO, UGT, CSIF and CIG-Saúde seek paid professional reclassification, partial retirement with immediate replacement, voluntary early retirement without penalties, and a regulated 35‑hour workweek with recognition of shift overlap.
• Union leaders accuse the Ministry of producing an incomplete draft and breaking the agreed meeting schedule to rush the text toward Congress.
• After the demonstrations, the Ministry called negotiating unions to a new meeting and said it will keep receiving proposals ahead of the Foro Marco and before sending the bill to Parliament.
• Further actions are scheduled, including a national protest on October 1 and a doctors’ strike on October 3 called by CESM and the Andalusian Medical Union, with CESM also submitting a separate physicians’ statute proposal.