The nursing union Satse Aragón has suspended a demonstration scheduled for Thursday outside the headquarters of the Aragonese Health Service (Salud) as a mark of respect following the fatal train accident in Toledo. The organization said the decision reflects its "affection and solidarity" with the families of the victims and those injured in the crash.
The protest had been called to press longstanding demands on behalf of nurses, specialist nurses and physiotherapists across the autonomous community. Satse Aragón argues that growing care complexity, evolving professional competencies, chronic vacancy coverage problems and the need to properly value its members' contribution make a dedicated negotiating table essential.
The move comes a day after four other unions represented on the Health Sectoral Board — CSIF, CC.OO., UGT and FTPS — staged their own concentration outside the regional health ministry. Those groups are seeking to revive collective bargaining talks that began in December 2025 and to secure agreements benefiting all professional categories.
Labor unrest is unfolding in parallel with negotiations between Salud and the medical unions CESM Aragón and Fasamet. Those discussions have already produced a preliminary accord on two points: raising the on-call hour rate and unblocking access to level four of the professional career ladder.
In a formal letter addressed to the Salud manager, Satse Aragón itemised a broad set of claims. They include professional development and formal recognition of specialties, the creation of an occupational health nurse category, and an increase in the value of continuous-care and on-call hours to maintain parity with the rates applied to physicians.
The union also demands updates to night, holiday and shift differentials; classification of Saturday shifts and Sunday or holiday night work as holiday time; double pay for on-call duties on 25 December and 1 January, with similar treatment for other major holidays; and the unblocking of career level four alongside recognition of specialised health training for career progression purposes.
Beyond pay and career structure, Satse Aragón urges approval of a second equality plan and concrete work-life balance measures. These include implementing a recoverable-hours bank agreed at the Sectoral Board in July 2022 and granting paid leave for pregnant employees from the 37th week of gestation.
The document also calls for greater staffing resources in hospitals following the introduction of the 35-hour working week, alignment of professional-to-patient ratios with real care demand and quality standards, and effective coverage of absences and vacancies to prevent overload and guarantee continuity of care. Additional requests cover the updating of existing pacts and the annual publication of revised employment pool lists ahead of the summer hiring season.
