The Basque Government announced on Tuesday that it will stabilise 2,109 jobs in Osakidetza and create 358 more. That is to say, 2,109 jobs that were so far temporary will become structural, and the 358 new jobs will be aimed at strengthening primary care. BERRIA has received that by 31 December public job vacancies for these posts will be called. Gotzone Sagardui, Health Advisor, stressed that “it is the largest increase in Osakidetza’s workforce in the last 20 years.”

However, the LAB and ELA unions have quickly turned the reading around. As regards the stabilization of provisional jobs, the trade unions recall that this is not a matter of will, but that the Iceta Act limits that total contracts should have a maximum of 8%. LAB denounces that even with 2,109 new structural places, the Basque Government exceeds the limit of this type of contract in Osakidetza. It points out that there are 3,723 posts that need to be stabilized, 1,256 more than those announced by the Government.

ELA acquires a propaganda tone for the new “biggest increase in staff”. In his opinion, the Government wanted to "sell" that there will be 2,109 more workers and conceal that these jobs already exist, but that behind them were the "temporary workers who respond to structural functions". ELA says that even more are not stabilized, some 5,000, so the new places announced are not enough to put an end to precariousness.

In addition, ELA considers that the 358 jobs they will create for primary care are also insufficient, considering that the workers in this group suffer a “very high workload”. The trade union is going to put an amendment to the measure.