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STRIKES

Doctors, teachers and taxi drivers strike across Catalonia

Wednesday is due to be a difficult day in Catalonia with planned stoppages across three different sectors in health, education, and taxi services.

Published: 25 January 2023 11:17 CET
Doctors, teachers and taxi drivers strike across Catalonia
Doctors are striking in Catalonia. Photo: Josep LAGO / AFP

Medical staff

The union Metges de Catalunya has called for five days of strikes for doctors and medical staff across Catalonia on Wednesday, January 25th and Thursday, January 26th, as well as February 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

They are demanding more resources and personnel for the Catalan public health system and between 25 to 28 patient appointments per work shift of 12 minutes each.

READ ALSO – Key dates: How planned health service strikes in Spain could affect you

After an unsuccessful meeting on Tuesday, January 24th to try and resolve issues and further talks on Wednesday morning that didn’t lead to any resolution, 25,000 health professionals from health centers and hospitals across the region have been called to strike. They have not demonstrated en masse like this in Catalonia since 2018.

Some 500 nurses and midwives also took to the streets on Tuesday, January 24th to ask for better working conditions. Their protest continues this Wednesday, when both nurses and doctors have gathered to march to Sants train station, where they are due to arrive at midday. 

The regional government has agreed to guarantee urgent health care as well as that of the neonatal units and vital chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments.

Teachers

Teachers and other educational professionals have also been called to strike with two days of planned walkouts on Wednesday, January 25th and Thursday, January 26th.

After a series of unproductive negotiations with the Minister of Education, Josep Gonzàlez-Cambray, the unions Ustec, CCOO and UGT decided to go ahead with the stoppages.  

The unions have said that the simultaneous strikes in education and health make perfect sense as they are “two pillars” of society that should be a priority for the government.

The union Ustec demands that the regional government should invest 6 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in public education as established by the Education Law of Catalonia. They are also asking to reduce the ratios in the classes and improve the working conditions of educational professionals. 

Schools will remain open during these days, however, and minimum services have been established such as guaranteeing 50 percent of the staff in special education centers and nurseries.

Taxi drivers

Taxi drivers have also joined in the protests and will stage a four-hour strike on Barcelona’s Gran Via this Wednesday, against driver apps such as Free Now, Uber and Bolt.

Negotiations between The Elite Taxi union and the city council broke down last week and the union has called drivers to gather from 10am to 2pm on Gran Via with Plaza Tetuán and on Passeig de Gràcia.

Taxi drivers will also be voting on whether to protest during the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) and Mobile World Congress fairs. ISE will be held from January 1st to February 3rd and Mobile World Congress from February 27th to March 2nd.  

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PROPERTY

Spain’s Catalonia to offer up to €40,000 to renovate rural properties

The Catalan government is offering a grant of up to €40,000 for those who want to buy a house to renovate in municipalities of less than 500 inhabitants in the region.

Published: 23 April 2024 11:30 CEST
Spain's Catalonia to offer up to €40,000 to renovate rural properties

The initiative seeks to promote repopulation in rural underpopulated areas, in order to inject life into empty areas of the region.

It is only available for homes in municipalities of less than 500 people, however, this number can reach 1,000 inhabitants in specific areas such as Terra Alta, the Priorat, Ribera d’Ebre, les Garrigues, Ripollès and in all the municipalities of the Alt Pirineu i Aran.

Financial aid will reach up to €20,000 per home if it’s already the applicant’s habitual residence at the time of the request. But, for those who want to move to a rural area and do up an empty home, the figure increases to €40,000 up to a limit of six properties.

READ ALSO – Explained: Spain’s new measure to help young people and families purchase their first home 

The Generalitat has confirmed that they will allocate €2 million in total to the plan up until 2027.

The main catch is that you can’t sell the property for 10 years after receiving the grant unless you want to risk having to pay it back. You can, however, rent it out through the social rental mediation network, in order to facilitate access to affordable housing in rural areas.

The subsidy is focused on improving key aspects of the well-being of inhabitants and respect for the environment. Therefore, the aid will cover 50 percent of the cost of the works necessary to improve the energy efficiency of the properties, as well as the repairs that ensure the basic requirements of safety, habitability and functionality of the properties.

The measure not only seeks to encourage investment in the improvement of rural housing, but also to promote construction trade and maintenance, which contribute to sustainability and the efficient use of resources.

With this programme, the Generalitat of Catalonia aims to address two of the significant challenges in rural areas – depopulation and housing deterioration.

To access these subsidies, the home must be used as the owner’s habitual and permanent residence or they must have been empty for more than two years.

Applications for the programme will be open from June 28th and you must have legal residency in Catalonia in order to be eligible.

It hasn’t been revealed yet exactly how to apply, so keep an eye on site and we’ll let you know as soon as we do.

READ ALSO: Six beautiful villages and small towns which are close to Barcelona

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