85% minimum services in Rodalies, metro, bus and FGC for the October 28 strike

The Generalitat has set some minimum services of the 85% throughout the day on Rodalies trains, metro, buses and trams in Barcelona and Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) for the strike this coming Thursday, October 28. Other sectors, such as education (universities, colleges or kindergartens) and the health (from hospitals to CAPs) are also affected by the strike call. Catalan public employees are called to stop to protest against the situation of abuse experienced by hundreds of thousands of interns throughout Spain and against the solutions proposed by the new decree approved by the Government. The Department of Labor has published this Tuesday the decree of minimum services to make compatible the right to protest of the organizing unions -the IAC and the CGT-, with the daily life of the citizens.

The Department of Work has deployed a guarantee coverage of the minimum services in the health sector, given the current pandemic. The emergency services and special units (such as murdered) of the different health centers must operate normally, as was usual in strikes before the covid. This also includes services for sensitive treatments, such as radiotherapy o la chemotherapy, among others, that they must provide 100% of the service or “non-postponed” surgical operations. In outpatient care centers, that is, ambulatory O health centers, the available template must be at least 25%.

However, everything related to the “covid-19 care circuit” in primary care centers (CAPs) must operate normally. The strike may not directly affect the vaccination centers and the Generalitat guarantees 100% of the services for all those who have an appointment this Thursday to receive a dose of immunity.

Impairments in schools and institutes

A sector in which effects are expected is in public education, especially due to the union strength that the IAC, one of the convening centrals, has in it. To guarantee the operation of these centers, the Department of Work has set the following parameters, similar to those of previous stoppages. A person from the management team – either the director of the center, the head of studies or the coordinator – must be operational in each center. In the day care centers there should be half the staff of an ordinary day. Regarding the staff in the classrooms, in childish and primary (from 3 to 12 years old) there must be two teachers for every 4 classes. In the high school (12 to 16 years old) there must be one teacher for every 3 classes. And in special education up to 16 years of age, half of the workforce for an ordinary day should be available. In all cases, the Lunch service It must be guaranteed at 50%.

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Public televisions and radios in Catalonia, such as TV3, BTV or Catalunya Ràdio, are also included in the coverage of the strike and must guarantee a minimum service of 50% of their usual broadcast. Other services affected are crane service, dependent on the municipal bodies and which must operate at least one third of its frequency.

The protest called by the IAC -majority in the Generaltiat as a whole- and the CGT seek to protest against the abuse of temporary employment suffered by thousands of civil servants and workforce in Catalonia. The high rates of structural temporary employment in the public service, which are mainly concentrated in health and education, have been reason for correction in multiple sentences by the European justice system. To correct this, the Government agreed at the beginning of summer a document with the unions and now the parties with representation in the Congress of Deputies are debating changes to it. Changes in the norm are foreseen and all sectors are mobilizing to influence, including some of the unions with strength in the Catalan public sector.