DOCTORS across Spain will launch an indefinite strike from next month amid a growing dispute with the health ministry over ‘unjust’ working conditions.
Seven regional medical unions – representing 97,000 doctors, or 54 per cent of all physicians in Spain’s public health – announced the move on Friday, marking the most significant escalation yet in a prolonged dispute that began in January.
At the heart of the row is the government’s new statute governing the basic working conditions of almost one million public health workers.
The legislation was agreed after more than three years of negotiations between the health ministry and the majority unions CCOO, UGT, CSIF and SATSE, and has now been sent to parliament.
But medical unions say they were sidelined during negotiations and argue that the new rules fail to address the specific demands of doctors, leaving them trapped in a system they say forces them to work excessive hours for inadequate pay.
Their demands include a 35-hour working week, better pay for on-call shifts, a complete overhaul of the on-call system, professional classification that reflects training and responsibilities, and a dedicated retirement model for medical professionals.
The seven unions behind the strike, representing Catalunya, Madrid, Galicia, Valencia, Navarra and the Canary Islands, have joined forces under the new Union Medica y Facultativa (UMYF) confederation.
“The mobilisation aims to get the health ministry to reconsider its approach and open genuine negotiations towards a dedicated medical statute capable of recognising the profession’s specific characteristics,” the unions said in a joint statement.
The latest announcement follows five weeks of strikes during the first half of 2026.
Turnout varied considerably between regions, with rates of between 10 and 25 per cent – well below what unions had hoped for.
They blamed what they described as ‘abusive minimum service requirements’ imposed by regional authorities for limiting participation.
A summer truce was then agreed to avoid putting further pressure on Spain’s public health system during the busy holiday period.
That pause also gave several regional governments time to strike their own agreements with doctors, with Andalucia, Valencia, the Basque Country, Galicia and Asturias all committing to reducing on-call hours and improving pay.
The newly-announced indefinite strike is set to begin on October 28.
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