Senior Health Technicians Accuse Health Ministry of 'Sabotaging' Their Right to Strike

On Friday, the second of four strike days planned by the Senior Health Technicians took place across the country. The group, through their professional college in the Valencian Community, accuses the Health Ministry of 'sabotaging' their right to strike. They argue that these professionals are being forced to perform tasks beyond what was set in the minimum services agreement.

Some of these tasks involve processing samples from health centres, specialties, and integrated health centres that do not pertain to priority patients — that is, oncological, haematological, paediatric patients, or those suffering from severe diseases or in life-threatening situations.

The mentioned samples are those that the TSS staff in the 'scheduled' section must process, for which the Directorate General of Labour had set 50% of the total staff of that unit. However, they explain that this half of the staff is taking on a workload typical of an ordinary day, not limited solely to urgent samples.

The group denounces this type of 'breaches' in the Radiology services of Alicante hospitals such as the General of Elche, the Vega Baja, or the University of Sant Joan d'Alacant. 'Our legal teams are already receiving all the anomalies that have arisen to file the appropriate legal claims against those responsible for this atrocity,' they explain from the collegiate entity.

The reasons they cite for going on strike include pending payments as Group B since 2008; the activation of the commission for the transformation of their current teachings into university-level; the definition of level V of the Framework Statute, where the need for a qualifying title to practice the profession is indicated; as well as the creation of the official category of Senior Coordinator Technician throughout Spain, with exclusive dependence on the Medical Directorate.