A study of workloads and a bilateral table, among the improvements achieved
The Infermeres de Catalunya union and the Minister of Health, Manel Balcells, signed an agreement this Thursday afternoon that puts an end to the indefinite strike they had maintained since December 12 to demand organizational and professional improvements for nurses. As reported by the Europa Press agency, the agreement includes a study of the workloads of nursing professionals and the creation of a bilateral table between the Health Department and the union organization that will meet every two months.
Union sources have explained that the agreement has been reached after more than six hours of meeting with the department, and that it represents progress in the demands they had raised. Among them, the recognition of nurses as valid figures to act as shift and guard leaders stands out, and the guarantee of the right to digital disconnection with the implementation of a “digital disconnection code” in 2024.
More vehicles for home care and an end to indefinite strikes
Another of the points agreed upon between the union and the department is to evaluate the real needs of the territory’s vehicle fleet and increase it based on this assessment during the first half of 2024. In this way, it is intended to guarantee the portfolio of services of home care in primary care, which is one of the essential functions of nurses.
With these improvements, the Infermeres de Catalunya union has decided to call off the indefinite strike that had started on December 12, and that had caused discontent among the department and other unions with representation at the sectoral table. The union has stated that the agreement is not the one they wanted to sign, but that it is a first step and that they are calling off the strike to “give a break to nursing and the population.”
A bilateral space for monitoring agreements and the possibility of returning to strike
The union has indicated that the agreement does not mean the end, and that work tools and a bilateral space have been agreed upon to monitor the agreements every two months. Furthermore, he has warned that his “pulse will not tremble” to call a strike again if the Health Department does not comply with the agreement.
The union called the strike in protest of the third agreement of the Catalan Health Institute (ICS), agreed between the Department of Health and the unions Metges de Catalunya, CCOO, UGT and SATSE. CATAC, which also has two representatives on the union board, did not sign it. The agreement for the third agreement affects some 55,000 healthcare workers in Catalonia and contemplates an additional 320 million euros per year.
