SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 21st May. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The Canary Islands Medical Employees Union (SEMCA) held a meeting on Tuesday in the two main islands to urge the establishment of a specific Health sector negotiation table and express concerns about the slow progress in the job stabilization process.
In a released statement, they highlighted that while 13 out of the 17 Spanish autonomous regions have already started allocating positions, and in some regions the process has even been completed, the Canarian Health Service seems to be proceeding with excessive caution, displaying an intolerable lack of urgency.”
They noted that the legislation governing selective job stabilization processes dates back to 2021 and “clearly stipulates” that by 31st December 2024, not only merit-based competitions but also job competitions must be carried out.
“Two and a half years have already passed, and now everything seems to be left until the last minute, with only six months remaining to meet the deadlines and the summer holiday period approaching,” they remarked.
According to their assessment, “this is the final straw testing the patience of temporary doctors and physicians, who have been mistreated by the Canarian Administration for decades.”
The doctors highlighted that the European Court of Justice has already ruled in a first judgement that the abusive hirings by the Canarian Health Service were indeed “abusive”, and a second ruling expected in June is anticipated to support this legal precedent.
SEMCA also criticised traditional union bodies that “initially attempted to maintain unjust regular OPEs that would have resulted in hundreds of professionals losing their jobs.” Later, when they were forced to adhere to the regulations imposed by the law due to the pressure from platforms representing thousands of interim workers from across Spain, they became complicit in mechanisms that failed to ensure job stabilization for all mistreated doctors and physicians.
They provided examples of the chaos seen in the Education sector, where more than 50% of foreign applicants have been accepted in the Canary Islands through job allocation processes, only to return to their home countries after a period of service here.
Therefore, they believe that “this issue is just the visible part of a larger problem of discontent and dissatisfaction that has been accumulating for years among doctors and physicians, who have witnessed their efforts during the pandemic and post-pandemic periods being undermined.”
“EXTENSIVE LIST OF COMPLAINTS”
In this context, they argued that the Sectoral Health Board meeting scheduled for Wednesday “cannot effectively represent or defend the interests of doctors and physicians in the Canary Islands”, who have a long list of grievances across all aspects of their professional lives including salaries, breaks, career progression, on-call duties, and recognition of their work and training.
“For over three decades, this negotiation table has been more of a hindrance than a tool for doctors and physicians to improve their working conditions,” they emphasised, underscoring the need for a dedicated negotiation framework similar to that of judges and prosecutors.
“It’s not surprising to see a continuous exodus of doctors to other countries and the private sector when they face persistent mistreatment from both the Canarian and national public administrations, which fail to acknowledge their rightful representation,” they added.
