The Canary Islands Government’s Minister for Health, Esther Monzón, stated on Wednesday that she is «open» to negotiating a «logical solution» based on «common sense» in response to the demands that have led to the strike by doctors in the Canary Islands Health Service.
Before attending the ceremony to award the scholarships to the year’s top MIRs on the islands, organised by the Mapfre Canarias Foundation, the regional minister stated that they had met «last Thursday» (the day before the strike began) with the organising trade unions (the Medical Union and SEMCA), to whom they presented «14 measures that fall within our budgetary and organisational frameworks».
Monzón explained that, amongst these measures, there are improvements relating to «medical on-call duties, with rest periods following 24-hour shifts, as well as improved pay through allowances, including those linked to career progression», which are solutions «within our budgetary framework, what we can realistically offer based on common sense».
Canary Islands Health Service: Ministry awaits response from the trade unions
As she explained, the trade unions «raised a number of concerns», to which they have received a written response, and the Department of Health is currently waiting for them to get in touch with their department «so that an agreement can be reached».
The minister emphasised that they are «absolutely open to negotiation» because, she said, «we know and believe that it is important for this strike to end as soon as possible and, of course, we are always open to negotiating within this framework of common sense and within our budgets, which are what they are».
Coalición Canaria calls for the occupational group to be classified as C1
As for the demands that various trade unions asked to be included in the budget, Monzón pointed out that «Coalición Canaria tabled a non-legislative motion calling for the recognition of their professional category as C1» and that the nationalist group «was the only party to do so».
In her view, this demonstrates «unwavering support for all workers in that professional category».
Canary Islands: Budget constraints and a shortage of doctors are limiting improvements
She has therefore reiterated her willingness, «within the budgetary framework and within the organisational reality of the Canary Islands Health Service’s current staffing levels, and those we can expect to have, to amend any improvements they propose that are genuinely feasible».
She pointed out that the Regional Ministry is subject to «a budgetary framework, to budgets that are due to be presented shortly» and cannot go «beyond the budgetary framework set by the Regional Ministry of Finance».
Furthermore, «there is a fixed number of doctors, which can be increased as long as there are doctors available on the market» because, as she has pointed out, «there is not a single register of doctors where all the places are not currently filled»; in other words, «all doctors who wish to do so are employed by the Canary Islands Health Service».
She pointed out that proposing solutions outside this budgetary framework or the current staffing levels «would be deceiving them and deceiving the public, and I believe this deserves a logical solution within the framework we can offer our professionals», who «are our greatest asset within the Canary Islands Health Service».
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