Zaragoza (EFE).- The Minister of Health, Sira Repollés, has admitted that the reduction of the working day of toilets to 35 hours a week “is not feasible at this time due to its great depth”. Yes, she has assured, however, that although the payment of the professional career to the toilets requires regulatory changes, she works so that they are recognized “as soon as possible”.
This has been pointed out when asked about the possibilities of reaching an agreement with the UGT, CCOO and Csif unions that will allow the general strike in the sector called for March 31 to be paralyzed, the third that this counselor has faced since she May 2020 assumed this portfolio.
According to Repollés, these unions raise demands, “some affordable from the budgetary point of view” but others “more complex because they require far-reaching regulatory changes, possibly difficult to carry out at this time.”
He believes that, from the point of view of the structure of services and attention, it is “assumable” to implement sliding afternoon shifts. But in the case of the payment of the level 3 professional career for administration and services, it requires “difficult” regulatory changes, which they are trying to address “in order to proceed with their payment, considering it fair.”
Difficult, but legitimate claim
However, he admits that implementing the 35-hour work week exceeds the specific powers of Health since it is a negotiation that is being carried out at the level of public function and it would be necessary to deal with another series of departments.
Although it recognizes that it is a legitimate claim, it is a recognition that is negotiated at the civil service level when in the case of Health most of the workers are statutory personnel, that is, they have their own regulations, in addition to the fact that this area has a much higher volume of workers, 22,000, who would see their working hours modified.
A fact that, explained the counselor, would imply having to hire 600 more professionals – “which we do not have”, she said – and a cost of 25 million euros per year, for which she emphasizes that it has to be a progressive measure that ” be included in the general measures but not addressable at this time due to its great depth”.
The payment of the race, a matter of time
The payment of the professional career has been conditioned by the budget law since 2008, for which reason it requires a regulatory modification, which would be less than waiting for the preparation of the 2024 budgets, but given the urgency demanded by the unions, “the will ” of Repollés is that “it is done; It is a matter of time but to be satisfied as soon as possible ”, he has sentenced.
Regarding the agreements reached with the medical unions Cesma and Fasamet, he recalled that the administration has a period of three months to evaluate the result of the measures that have begun to be implemented in Primary Care on March 1.
“Very complex” measures because they also depend on each health center and include organizational changes that allow the afternoon shift under certain different conditions: exemption from guards, overflow consultations, voluntary or even sliding shifts.
“They are large-scale and difficult to implement in a short time, but they are also conditioned on improving user accessibility and obtaining an appointment in less than 3 days”, Repollés specified, who insists that it will be necessary to wait these three months to be able to evaluate them and propose modifications if necessary.