Public-Sector Pay Dispute Triggers Strikes At Over 20 University Hospitals

Employees at more than 20 university hospitals across Germany staged warning strikes on Tuesday. According to the Verdi union, staff at university clinics in North Rhine-Westphalia, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Bavaria were among those taking part in a sector-wide strike day. The action is linked to a collective bargaining dispute in the public sector involving 15 federal states. Hesse is not taking part in the negotiations.

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“Significant disruptions can be expected at the affected hospitals, but emergency care is assured,” said Verdi national executive board member Sylvia Bühler. Corresponding emergency service agreements are in place. Employees at the university hospitals are “furious”, she added. In this wage dispute, the issues for staff include the level of allowances for shift work and rotating shifts.

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Collective bargaining for state employees is currently underway. The first two rounds of talks produced no results, and a third round is scheduled to begin on February 11 in Potsdam. In the run-up to that, the unions aim to increase pressure on employers through intensified warning strikes. According to Verdi, protests in the healthcare sector will continue on Wednesday, with further sector-wide strike days planned. For Thursday, unions have already called for walkouts in the education sector.

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The unions are demanding a 7% increase in pay, but at least an additional €300 per month. State finance ministers rejected the demands as excessive. They have so far not presented their own offer, but only outlined a so-called “framework for agreement”, which essentially provides for inflation compensation with a term of 29 months. The unions dismissed the proposal as unacceptable.

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The bargaining round covers all non-civil-service employees of 15 federal states. Hesse concludes separate agreements. The collective agreements are typically extended to state civil servants and pensioners at a later stage. According to Verdi, the negotiations concern a total of 2.2 million state employees.

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