The employees of numerous hospitals in Bavaria went on warning strikes on Tuesday. According to the Verdi union, more than 30 municipal hospitals and district clinics and several elderly care facilities will take part in the industrial action. Clinics in Nuremberg, Aschaffenburg, Schweinfurt, Regensburg and Rosenheim, among others, were affected on Tuesday. Warning strikes are planned for Wednesday in Altötting, Bayreuth and Munich, for example.
At the Nuremberg Clinic, the employees stopped working at the beginning of the early shift on Tuesday. “The emergency service is guaranteed,” said the responsible Verdi union secretary, Martin Schmalzbauer. “Of course, some operations are postponed, but only those that can be planned, which are otherwise always postponed. That’s everyday life because of the lack of staff.” The Nuremberg Clinic had already warned of significant restrictions in medical care. Tumor operations would also have to be canceled, it said.
A rally was planned in front of the Klinikum-Nord in Nuremberg in the morning. Later it should go through the city to the Ministry of Health. “The employees are angry,” said Schmalzbauer. According to the employer’s offer, they should have to forego income if the company is doing poorly. Verdi wants to push through 10.5 percent more wages for the 2.5 million federal and local employees nationwide, but at least 500 euros more a month. Employers are gradually offering five percent more for a two-year term and a one-off payment of 2,500 euros. The third round of negotiations is scheduled for the end of March.