Canary Islands doctors continue strike, demand higher pay and reforms

Doctors in the Canary Islands have been on strike since mid‑February, running parallel national protests against Spain's health ministry and a regional walk‑out against the Canary Islands Health Service (SCS) for not honoring 2023 strike agreements. The unions SEMCA, CESM and AME criticize Health Minister Esther Monzón and SCS director Adasat Goya as “overwhelmed” and accuse the SCS of ignoring Supreme Court rulings and diverting the dispute to a sector table where doctors have no voice. Their demands include a substantial increase in on‑call duty pay – rejecting the SCS’ offer of a €4 increase – better rest periods, an end to 24‑hour guards, equalisation of professional career pay to the three best autonomous communities, an open permanent transfer system, infrastructure upgrades and the full implementation of agreed‑upon strike measures. The regional government has offered a limited pay rise, which unions deem insufficient, and the strike has already cost the health system more than €150 million. Unions have called on Canary Islands President Fernando Clavijo to lead negotiations. "If the director of the SCS intends to base the progress of negotiations ... on an increase of four euros for on‑call duty pay, then he is seriously misinformed about the collective’s demands," the union statement said.