Social Security medical inspectors, who are responsible for determining if employees on extended sick leave should continue in that status or return to work, have announced a strike scheduled for April 29. They are protesting against the unsafe conditions in which they work and the heavy workloads they bear. The union, UGT, has explained that recent changes in regulations have led to an increase in the workload for these professionals, particularly due to the removal of the Medical Court in disability proceedings.
This change has resulted in one medical inspector handling tasks previously addressed by a team of five professionals, creating frustration and vulnerability. This has led to verbal and physical attacks in highly contentious consultations. The Federation of Public Services of UGT stresses the importance of better personnel planning, equitable distribution of workloads, and task rotations to address the ongoing demand.
There is also a lack of staffing to adequately handle the increased workload. Worker representatives estimate that an increase in staff by almost 30% is necessary for quality service delivery. Moreover, medical inspectors are demanding fixed salaries with fewer variable supplements, as well as independence from the body that pays the benefits they adjudicate.
The disappearance of medical courts a year ago has caused significant delays in resolving long-term temporary disability cases, prompting several strikes in various regions in the past year. In Madrid, social security medical inspectors will gather at the Ministry of Inclusion and Social Security headquarters on April 29 between 12:00 and 14:00 to protest against their working conditions and demand better treatment from their employers.
The UGT union’s decision to call for a strike highlights the growing frustration among social security medical inspectors over their working conditions. The union is calling on social security authorities to address their concerns by providing adequate staffing levels and improving personnel planning practices.
In conclusion, social security medical inspectors have announced a strike scheduled for April 29 to protest against their working conditions and demand better treatment from their employers. The Federation of Public Services of UGT stresses that recent changes in regulations have led to an increase in their workload and vulnerability due to reduced staffing levels and removal of Medical Court in disability proceedings.
The disappearance of Medical Courts last year has caused significant delays in resolving long-term temporary disability cases prompting several strikes across regions. Medical inspectors are demanding fixed salaries with fewer variable supplements as well as independence from paying bodies.
As such, it is crucial that social security authorities take immediate action to address these concerns before further strikes occur.