In Tarragona, doctors have started refusing overtime, and the action is already delaying dozens of operations and consultations across the area. The protest, organised by the majority union Metges de Catalunya, began in early June 2026, according to the Diari de Tarragona.
The campaign is called Ni un minut més, which means “Not one more minute”. It is aimed at the exhaustion medical staff say they face after long working weeks and the physical and psychological strain of 24-hour shifts. After two days, six hospitals in the Tarragona area had joined the protest, and Marc Vallvè, the union’s delegate in Tarragona, described the impact as “relevant”.
At Hospital Joan XXIII, 14 operating theatre sessions have been suspended, along with at least three ordinary consultations, affecting about 20 patients per consultation, and one special tests unit, the union said. Pius Hospital de Valls has also cancelled seven operating theatre sessions. The union says it wants to limit disruption where possible, even as it pushes for changes to working hours.
Metges de Catalunya says a prolonged protest could increase waiting lists by 20%, although it says that is not the aim because doctors themselves would have to manage those lists. Vallvè said the protest is indefinite and is intended to secure an agreement with the Department of Health, adding that a shorter protest would be better for everyone because doctors want to prioritise patient care.
The Department of Health has said it respects the doctors’ demands, but warned that “legally constituted negotiation tables express the democratic representation of trade union organisations [...] and are the only effective way to negotiate working conditions.” It also said Metges de Catalunya did not attend a working group meeting on an alternative organisational model for 24-hour shifts.
Vallvè said that was only one meeting and involved unions representing professionals who do not work full-day shifts. Metges de Catalunya is calling for a specific collective agreement for doctors, similar to those in other European countries, to reflect their working conditions. For more Catalonia-wide health and labour coverage, see our news page.
The union estimates that 20% to 30% of current medical activity depends on overtime, and says waiting lists are being kept stable by extra hours. Doctors are now refusing additional morning shifts, and the union says that if a doctor normally has 20 appointment slots, they are no longer taking on the usual 35 appointments. It also says oncology appointments have been reduced to 10 minutes. The protest will continue until the Department of Health is willing to negotiate specific working conditions and a dedicated collective agreement.
