Unions Protest Again at Alicante Hospital Demanding 35-Hour Workweek Implementation

Unions Satse, CCOO, UGT, and Intersindical Salut resumed their protests this Tuesday at Alicante General Hospital, urging Health Minister Marciano Gómez to honour the "commitments" reached and "agreed" with union representatives, such as the 35-hour workweek.

In a statement, they expressed their "rejection" of the "lies spread and maintained throughout this legislative period" by the minister, which they claim have led to a deterioration in the quality and care of the Valencian public health system.

"The minister lies about the absence of a staff reinforcement plan; about the collapse in all departments due to the flu, and lies about his ineffectiveness and lack of planning in the vaccination campaign," the unions state, adding that he "continues to lie about the lack of real reinforcement during the storm."

Satse, CCOO, UGT, and Intersindical Salut claim to have "verified" that the "initial organisational chaos" was managed with voluntary staff; health NGOs, and that personnel hired by the Health Department were used to replace workers unable to attend work due to direct impact from the storm, "leading to an effort to serve the population during such a catastrophe with the professionalism they deserve."

The unions criticise that the minister's "lies" "know no bounds" and cite, for example, the implementation of the 35-hour workweek for Health Department staff as of 1 January 2025; completion of the Stabilisation selection processes and Public Employment Offers by 31 December 2024, as established in the national Law 20/2024; creation of 300 school nurse positions for schools in the Valencian Community by September 2024 for this academic year, and the "commitment to transparency" regarding the monthly publication of surgical waiting lists.

They also mention the increase in staff; improvement in salaries and working hours; protection of work-life balance, and "that he stops lying to the public and guarantees, once and for all, quality care for users, reduces waiting lists, delays in Primary Care appointments, and stops spreading falsehoods to professionals as it only encourages them to flee en masse to other regions where they are better treated and valued."