As of: 03/21/2023 6:53 p.m
Thousands of hospital doctors in Germany followed the call for a warning strike by the Marburger Bund doctors’ union on Tuesday. Many came to a protest rally in Hamburg. According to the union, around 4,000 doctors from the Asklepios Klinik St. Georg moved to Gänsemarkt at midday.
The high inflation is also driving up the wage demands of the Marburg Federation. Pedram Emami, chairman of the Marburger Bund in Hamburg, did not name a specific sum. However, one expects “that inflation will be compensated for, which actually reduced our salary last year”, said the President of the Hamburg Medical Association to the Hamburg Journal on NDR television. And there should also be a 2.5 percent “real” wage increase for the doctors in the clinics.
Operations are being postponed because of the warning strike
In Hamburg, the doctors at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), at the Asklepios Clinics and at Helios were called to the warning strike. Hospital doctors from Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and many other federal states also came to Hamburg to protest. According to the Marburger Bund, emergency care for patients was guaranteed, but many operations that could be planned should be postponed.
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Negotiations with multiple parties
The doctors’ union is currently negotiating nationwide with three employers’ associations and employers at the same time, including with the municipalities. Therefore, the strike affected a number of hospitals with private providers such as Helios, but also the hospitals run by the cities and districts.
At the rally in Hamburg, the Federal Chairwoman of the Marburg Association, Susanne Johna, called on the municipal employers to finally submit an offer that appreciates the work of the doctors. “Anyone who thinks they can burden us even more, we say: Not with us!” said Johna. Many clinics are already missing doctors. “Thousands of doctor’s positions are vacant nationwide. If you want enough doctors in the clinics to do their work day and night in the future, then finally make us a sensible offer!” Johna demanded.
Asklepios criticizes “Wild West methods”
The association of municipal employers’ associations had criticized the warning strikes – also because they are currently conducting parallel collective bargaining with the Marburger Bund as well as with ver.di and the civil servants’ association dbb. “This brings health care to its limits,” said negotiator Wolfgang Heyl. The clinic group Asklepios spoke of “Wild West methods” – from his point of view, the Marburger Bund started the escalation with warning strikes far too early.
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