The Confederación Española de Sindicatos Médicos announced on 8 September 2026 that it would step up its protest against the draft Estatuto Marco . The organisation speaks of a “permanent conflict” and plans a round of talks with the groups in the Cortes Generales, seeking changes to the parliamentary process now under way. The Consejo de Ministros had previously referred the draft to the Cortes Generales for parliamentary processing on 1 September 2026.
CESM criticises the fact that medical professional associations were not adequately involved in the negotiations so far with the Ministerio de Sanidad . According to the union, the most contentious provisions concern working hours, on-call duties and career paths. CESM is calling for its key demands to be included in the parliamentary revision; otherwise, it reserves the right to call further strikes.
The conflict has been building for months: since early 2026, there have been repeated, time-limited strikes and protest actions in several autonomous communities. The Comité de Huelga, the body that coordinates possible industrial action, also includes regional doctors’ unions alongside CESM, including Metges de Catalunya, Amyts and O’Mega. Before the summer, this Comité had announced the possibility of an indefinite strike in September; as of 8 September 2026, the body had not specified dates or arrangements and said further decisions were still to be made.
The Ministerio de Sanidad says the draft reform is needed to modernise and standardise nationwide the professional statute for staff in the Sistema Nacional de Salud. Its aims include providing legal certainty and improving staff retention. Whether the announced protests will affect the parliamentary debate now depends on the parliamentary groups’ willingness to talk and the next decisions of the Comité de Huelga.
What is clear is that the Estatuto Marco bill has been in the legislative process of the Cortes Generales since 1 September 2026. Whether, and to what extent, it will be amended as a result of negotiations or industrial action remains open.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).