Healthcare technicians end strike after deal with health department

Healthcare technicians have ended their strike that began on January 8 after reaching an agreement with the Department of Health. 

The Nursing Technicians' Union (SAE) and the State Union of Senior Healthcare Technicians (SIETeSS) held meetings with Catalan health minister Manel Balcells on Tuesday, with a deal struck after more than nine hours. 

Balcells said he was glad to bring an end to the dispute that had been ongoing for several weeks. 

Addressing concerns not just around salary, but also around "recognition" for healthcare technicians and organizational issues enabled the strike to be called off, the health minister said. 

Balcells acknowledged that an agreement reached between the government and the majority of healthcare unions in December "brought to the fore concerns and shortcomings" from some groups, such as nurses and healthcare technicians.  

In fact, one of Catalonia's nursing unions, Infermeres de Catalunya, called off its indefinite strike last week after reaching an agreement with the Catalan health ministry on January 25.

As part of the deal reached with healthcare technicians, Balcells will urge Spanish health minister Mónica García at a meeting on Friday to reclassify staff in order to enable an "immediate" salary increase.  

Union representatives said the strike has led to "economic and organizational improvements and the reclassification that will be negotiated with the [Spanish health] ministry." 

The Catalan health department and the unions have agreed on a deadline of two months to monitor compliance with the deal. 

"We have given a vote of confidence, but if at any time we see that deadlines are not being met, we will call a strike again," unions warned. 

Protests 

Referring to the Catalan Health Institute (ICS) agreement, healthcare technicians protested outside Parliament last week under the slogan "If the ICS does not pay, strike, strike, strike," and calling for Balcells to resign.