On 12 and 13 December, thousands of people concentrated in the BEC of Barakaldo to conduct the tests corresponding to the Osakidetza Public Employment Offer (OPE) 2014-15. In total, 53,930 people have been presented to the 1,014 places offered by Osakidetza, according to data provided by the company itself, following the examinations held on 12 and 13 November in Donostia-San Sebastián.

In a press release to the media on OPE, Osakidetza stressed that it has offered the largest number of seats that the law could offer this year. In a way, and without mentioning them, it was a response to the trade unions, because the OPE is at the heart of the labour conflict that has taken place in Osakidetza in the last two years.

Of the 1,014 jobs offered, only half are new. The other half are internal promotion, i.e. only those who are already Osakidetza workers can be submitted to access tests. The offer of 508 new jobs is far from what trade unions, all of whom are represented in Osakidetza, are calling for. In his view, it is necessary to create at least 3,000 new permanent jobs that guarantee both the provision of a quality service to citizens and the working conditions of workers.

Currently, the public company has some 26,000 permanent workers, although there is much more to daily activity than that. The trade unions have estimated that the temporality rate is around 35% in the CAV. According to the study Report on Precariousness in Osakidetza published by ELA, it should be noted that the average temporality in the CAPV is 20% and that of the European Union is 14%. In his view, the percentage of Osakidetza in the Basque Health Service should not exceed 7%.

In addition to the requirement concerning the number of workers, some trade unions have made a proposal to change the OPE model, as we have heard from Edurne Agirre of LAB. Among other reasons, because of the damage that currently exists to temporary staff. “They must be presented to all calls, paying a sum of money, if they do not want to stay out of the job exchange.”