Spanish Doctors Launch First Day of Monthly Strikes Over New Health Sector Rules
Spanish physicians on strike, Feb. 16, 2026. X/ @publico_es
February 16, 2026 Hour: 12:37 pm
Physicians protest labor reform agreed upon by the Sanchez administration and major unions.
On Monday, doctors across Spain began the first day of a strike — scheduled for one week per month through June — to protest new sector regulations and demand a statute specifically tailored to the medical profession.
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The walkout marks the start of a new wave of strikes called by minority unions across Spain, adding to more than half a dozen protests backed in 2025 after negotiations with the Spanish Ministry of Health stalled.
During the first day of this weeklong strike, numerous demonstrations were held outside hospitals and health centers nationwide, where doctors voiced their rejection of the proposed reform of the framework statute regulating the working conditions of personnel in the National Health System (SNS).
The reform was agreed upon Jan. 26 between the government of President Pedro Sanchez and the main unions. Organizers are calling for a separate statute that reflects the particularities of the medical profession, independent from other health care personnel.
The text reads, “Doctors are going on strike again because they’re fed up with precarious contracts and endless shifts. They’re not asking for privileges: they’re asking for dignity. And without dignified doctors, there is no public healthcare system.”
Their demands include a maximum 35-hour workweek during morning shifts on weekdays, with any hours beyond that considered overtime, which would be voluntary and paid.
They also seek voluntary on-call shifts — which are typically 24 consecutive hours — voluntary full or partial early retirement and a ban on forced relocation, among other demands.
In the absence of further information from organizers and regional health authorities, participation in the first day of the strike appeared uneven.
In some regions, turnout did not reach 10%, according to regional government data, while in others hospital participation reached 85%. However, organizers accused institutions of imposing excessive minimum service requirements that they say infringe on their right to strike.
teleSUR/JF
Source: EFE
