Spanish doctors to go on strike in May to demand better conditions
Medical professionals across Spain are planning to protest against the gradual erosion of their working rights
Doctors across Spain are preparing to go on strike in May to demand better working conditions. The Spanish Confederation of Medical Unions (CESM), with the backing of the Andalusian Medical Union (SMA), has announced the first day of strike action for May 23, 2025. The protest is in response to the draft Framework Statute proposed by the Health Ministry, which doctors believe fails to adequately address their concerns.
The main objective of the strike is to push for changes in the law that would allow medical professionals to negotiate their working conditions with proper representation. Doctors argue that their rights have been eroded over the last 40 years while obligations have continued to increase, often without adequate compensation.
The draft presented by the ministry, led by Mónica García, has been met with unanimous rejection from health professionals. The decision to strike follows a series of meetings aimed at amending the Framework Statute, particularly since the publication of the current draft.
Medical unions highlight that despite being the backbone of the healthcare system, doctors are facing worsening working and economic conditions. They point out that their profession carries significant responsibility for patient care and requires a minimum of 11 years of training, yet their working hours are excessive, rest periods inadequate and overtime payments lower than standard hourly rates.
Health professionals in Spain are also frequently subjected to verbal and physical abuse from patients and their families, making the profession a potentially dangerous one.
A statement from the Spanish Confederation of Medical Unions expresses further frustration, stating that the administration “promotes, supports and boasts of encroaching on the exclusive competences of doctors by other professions with lower training and capacity requirements”.
Unless the government provides a satisfactory solution, doctors across Spain will move forward with their planned industrial action, seeking to bring attention to their concerns and demand fair treatment in their profession.
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