Doctors across Spain are preparing for an indefinite strike from October 28 in protest against the government's reform of the Statute Framework governing healthcare workers.

The decision represents an escalation of a dispute that has continued throughout 2026, with medical organisations demanding a separate legal framework for doctors and rejecting what they consider insufficient guarantees in the government's proposed reform.

The announcement comes as the new Statute Framework moves into its parliamentary phase. The Council of Ministers approved the draft bill for submission to Congress on September 1.

Doctors Want Their Own Statute

The main demand from the medical organisations is the creation of a specific statute for doctors and other medical professionals.

The unions argue that doctors have particular levels of training, responsibility and working conditions that require a dedicated legal framework rather than being regulated exclusively through a common statute covering the wider healthcare workforce.

They are also calling for their own negotiating framework and stronger recognition of the specific conditions attached to medical work.

Dispute Over Working Hours

Working hours are another major point of disagreement.

The medical organisations have called for a 35-hour working week and for excess hours to be properly recognised and compensated.

The government's proposed Statute Framework takes a different approach. The draft approved in June establishes a maximum ordinary weekly working time of 45 hours and limits medical on-call shifts to 17 hours, replacing the current possibility of 24-hour shifts.

The unions argue that the proposal still does not adequately recognise the particular workload and responsibility associated with the medical profession.

Classification Is Also Contested

Professional classification has become another important part of the dispute.

Doctors' organisations want a classification system that more clearly reflects their specialist training, responsibilities and professional status.

The government maintains that the new statute already introduces a revised professional classification system and has argued that its broader reforms improve working conditions across the public health system.

The disagreement over classification remains one of the issues preventing a full settlement.

The Reform Is Already Moving Forward

The timing of the planned strike is particularly important because the government's reform is no longer simply a draft under negotiation.

The Council of Ministers approved the bill on September 1 and sent it to the Spanish Parliament for debate and approval.

The Ministry of Health says the reform updates a framework that has governed the country's public healthcare workforce since 2003 and includes measures on working hours, job stability, conciliation and professional development.

The medical unions, however, say the parliamentary process does not resolve their demand for a separate statute.

Previous Strikes Have Already Taken Place

The announcement of an indefinite strike follows several rounds of industrial action during 2026.

Medical organisations have already carried out national strikes and mobilisations in opposition to the proposed reform.

In June, the strike committee warned that an indefinite strike would be considered if the dispute remained unresolved after the summer. That escalation has now been formally announced for October 28.

The Government's Position

The Ministry of Health has defended the common Statute Framework and rejected the creation of a completely separate statute that, in its view, could fragment the National Health System.

At the same time, the government has introduced changes specifically affecting doctors.

An agreement reached in March between the Ministry and the Forum of the Medical Profession included commitments on professional participation, classification, recognition of the burden associated with on-call work and the possibility of studying early retirement in particularly demanding healthcare activities.

The Ministry has therefore maintained that the reform can recognise the particularities of doctors without creating a separate statute.

What Happens on October 28

Unless an agreement is reached before then, the indefinite strike is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, October 28.

The impact will depend on participation levels and the minimum services established by the relevant authorities, particularly because healthcare is an essential public service.

For patients, the dispute could potentially affect appointments, procedures and other non-emergency services if the strike goes ahead at a significant scale.

A Conflict Still Without a Solution

The dispute has now entered a decisive phase.

Doctors' organisations say the proposed reform does not adequately recognise their professional status, working hours and specific responsibilities, while the government argues that the new framework already contains substantial improvements and that a separate statute is unnecessary.

With the parliamentary process underway and an indefinite strike announced for October 28, the coming weeks will determine whether negotiations can prevent a prolonged disruption to Spain's public healthcare system.

For doctors, the central demand remains clear: a legal framework that treats the medical profession according to its specific responsibilities. For the government, the priority remains a unified Statute Framework for the wider National Health System.