The Government of Aragon and the Servicio Aragonés de Salud have reached an agreement with the doctors’ unions CESM and FASAMET on 5 November 2026 on a package to improve doctors’ working conditions. Its main elements are a multi-year increase in pay for on-call shifts and the opening of the previously blocked fourth level of the professional career pathway (carrera profesional, Nivel 4). Implementation is due to begin in stages from 1 January 2027 .
According to the parties involved, the hourly rate for on-call shifts (Spanish: guardias) will increase over the next three years. Arrangements are also planned for particularly high levels of on-call work: an additional percentage-based allowance is planned for those working more than 720 hours a year. In parallel, Nivel 4 of the carrera profesional will be recognised and remunerated for the medical categories concerned. The precise arrangements for each speciality and the inclusion of fixed-term or interim staff are to be clarified in technical discussions.
Regional media reports consistently say that the package will require well over tens of millions of euros over its term, up to 2029. Heraldo de Aragón puts the figure at around 90 million euros by 2029; how this will be reflected in budgets over the coming years has yet to be decided. The health department said it would promptly coordinate the administrative steps and pay scales with the unions and regularly assess the impact.
The agreement follows months of tension between medical staff and the administration. Protests and industrial action had repeatedly been discussed or threatened in Aragón, driven by demands for better pay for on-call shifts and access to Nivel 4. The unions argue that the agreed measures could narrow pay differences with other autonomous communities and make a medical career more attractive. Representatives of the regional government point to the need to ease staff shortages in hospitals and emergency departments and curb the trend of workers leaving. Critics, meanwhile, point to the additional pressure on the budget and call for clear commitments to strengthen staffing levels on a lasting basis.
What is clear is that the agreement was signed on 5 November 2026, with phased implementation beginning on 1 January 2027. Questions remain about the specific hourly rates, how allowances will be allocated and the legal protections for particular groups of employees. These points are to be settled in the coming months through committee work and the budget process.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).