Four key health staff unions announce three protest dates in Andalucía this month

All the unions that make up the Mesa Sectorial de Sanidad de Andalucía (the organisation for round table discussions on the region's healthcare sector), with the exception of the doctors' trade union (SMA), will once again take to the streets during the month of October to demand improvements for the public Servicio Andaluz de Salud (SAS) health sector and its professionals in the region.

As a result, CSIF (healthcare administration staff), SATSE (nursing staff), CCOO (general hospital workers) and UGT (also general workers) have called three protest demonstrations for each of the remaining Wednesdays in October, given the "unacceptable situation of the Andalusian health system, the non-fulfilment of agreements and the poor negotiating capacity of the administration."

On 16 October, the regional hospitals will be the first locations to be mobilised. At 10.30am staff who choose to participate will gather outside at the following hospitals: Hospital de Poniente (Almeria), Infanta Margarita de Cabra (Cordoba), Hospital de La Línea de la Concepción (Cadiz), the hospital in Motril (Granada), the one in Riotinto (Huelva), Alto Guadalquivir de Andújar (Jaen), the hospital in Antequera (Malaga) and the one in Valme (Seville).

The following Wednesday (23 October) the protests will take place in the health centres and the following week (30th) demonstrators will gather at the doors of the general hospitals in all eight provinces of the region.

"The current situation offers no alternative", the unions claim, "after the request made in mid-September by CSIF, SATSE, CCOO, and UGT to meet with the new health minister for the region, Rocío Hernández, has not even received a response." They criticise the position in which they find themselves, "in the context of a lack of negotiation, dismissals of temporary staff and non-compliance with the agreements reached more than a year ago for primary care and professional career [development]."

These imminent protests are the continuation of the grievance plan of action that led these four union organisations to call protests in May throughout Andalucía, a specific protest on 16 June in Seville and the partial strike of the Andalusian healthcare service (SAS) on 26 June.

After the impasse of the summer and waiting for the leadership change in the regional health ministry to put an end to their aspirations, the four unions are disappointed "that the situation has not progressed in a positive way." This is why they will once again raise their voices "in defence of Andalusian public health" during October, without ruling out further measures "if the attitude of the governing body does not change radically."

The unions said in a statement: "the hand of the trade unions remains open to continue a dialogue that has unfortunately been lost in recent months and which is leading the Andalusian public health system into a pressing situation that requires urgent measures, many of which were already agreed upon some time ago with a regional government that is failing to comply with them, causing serious harm to the people of Andalucía."