Zaragoza (EFE).- The Aragonese Health Service and the UGT, CCOO and CSIF unions have reached a pre-agreement on Monday in the negotiation that will allow the general strike called for next Friday to be called off. An agreement that will be signed this Tuesday and in which the union demands are addressed, which the administration undertakes to implement progressively.
This Monday was the eighth meeting held by the parties and had been called to negotiate the minimum services of the strike scheduled for the 31st.
Professional career, 35 hours and opening from eight to eight
But finally a pre-agreement has been reached, which must then go through the Health Sector Table and the Governing Council, regarding the professional career, the progressive implementation of the 35-hour day, the opening of health centers until 8:00 p.m. or enhancements for continuing care professionals.
In the professional career, level 3 will be paid and recognized for professional training and management and services personnel, as well as the commitment for 2024 to unlock level 4 for all categories and the negotiation of a career agreement for interim personnel.
In statements to Efe, the UGT Health spokesperson, Elena Lahoz, has valued this pre-agreement that will be signed tomorrow at 9:00 am in the Health Department and that will allow the strike to be called off because it has achieved four strategic lines that were “the most difficult”. Such is the case of the professional career, which affects 75% of the professionals and who had not received it for more than 13 years, and which also incorporates the figure of the coordinator of senior technician and average technician that will be put into operation soon.
“It has been a very tough negotiation, involving many hours and meetings,” he stressed, and in the end the Minister of Health, Sira Repollés, went on to congratulate them and show her joy this Monday for this pre-agreement.
From CSIF, Jessica Fessenden, has valued to Efe that “historic demands of the union” have been achieved, such as the professional career and also the 35 hours because Aragón is “one of the five communities” in which it had yet to be achieved, in addition to improvements for continuing care staff.
Agreement not ideal but with some triumph
For her part, Delia Lizana, from CCOO, has pointed out to Efe that this pre-agreement “is not ideal”, but she does see it as a triumph that the professional career level has been unlocked and the agreement on 35 hours as “the will , not for this year or next, which will be more long-term, but collected on paper”.
He has also assessed the improvement for continuing care doctors and that work is going on reopening all health centers, first reopening all continuous care points that have been closed, so the balance is “positive” although in all agreements “hair on the cat flap” is left.
The pre-agreement has come after weeks of negotiations after the three unions proposed mobilizations and assemblies, a demonstration that toured the center of the Aragonese capital this Sunday and a call for a strike for this Friday that will be officially called off tomorrow with the signing of the document.