In May 2022, local elections will be held in Germany’s most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In the campaign, the German Social Democratic Party (GSDP) placed the main emphasis on improving the working conditions of carers. A topic that affects thousands of Bulgarian, Romanian and Polish women.
Promises of higher and decent pay
The chairman of the GSDP faction in North Rhine-Westphalia, Thomas Kuchati, presented an action plan in Dusseldorf. Its aim is to increase wages and working conditions for around 80,000 Eastern Europeans – according to the GDPR, there are so many in North Rhine-Westphalia alone.
Most of these women are employed by intermediaries in their home countries. They take care of patients around the clock, but receive a minimum salary of about 1,200 euros a month. It is extremely clear to everyone: the industry is in the so-called “gray area”. But due to the huge shortage of staff, circumvention of the rules is accepted in silence.
However, a ruling by the Federal Labor Court set a new direction. According to him, caregivers who must be ready to take care of their patients around the clock must also receive payment for 24 hours.
More and more older people need care
This means that the costs of many German families will increase. Some of them are desperate because they cannot afford to pay these sums. Without the care of Eastern European women, those in need must be sent to social homes.
According to GSDP health expert Josef Neumann, this situation can be resolved by introducing the Austrian model. In Austria, the profession of “personal companion” has been created, which under certain conditions allows for 24-hour care for about 2,000 euros per month.
In North Rhine-Westphalia in 2030, the share of people over the age of 65 will reach 27% of the province’s population. Thus, the need for carers will increase even more, as will the need for information centers on health and care for the elderly and sick. That is why the Social Democrats are proposing the appointment of “public nurses” to answer general questions related to these topics.
Fewer and fewer nurses in hospitals
The problem with caregivers does not only affect private households. The shortage of caregivers in hospitals and social homes is also becoming more serious. According to Anya Peel of the German unions, from March 2020 to early 2021, about 9,000 caregivers left the hospital. “The reasons for this are the constant overload and constant stress, insufficient funding, endangering one’s own health – in some cases even the necessary protective clothing is missing.”
According to the German Association of Emergency and Intensive Care Physicians, more and more hospitals are unable to operate at full capacity due to staff shortages. Against this background, the salaries of caregivers in the sector have risen only slightly since the beginning of the pandemic, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office. Anya Peel insists on “adequate pay, secured by attractive collective agreements”. Better working conditions and the ability to balance work and family are also needed, she said.
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