The doctors at the university hospitals and the collective bargaining association of German states have agreed on a new collective agreement. However, the committees of both parties still have to agree.
According to the Marburg Federation, there has been an agreement in collective bargaining negotiations for doctors at university hospitals in Germany. The Marburg Federation and the Collective Bargaining Association of German States (TdL) had agreed on a result this morning, the doctors’ union told the AFP news agency. The agreement is still subject to the approval of the collective bargaining committees of both sides.
Details of the agreement will be discussed in the collective bargaining committees on Wednesday. Both sides would inform the public about the outcome of the discussions on Thursday morning.
The demands of the Marburger Bund
The Marburger Bund had demanded 12.5 percent more salaries and higher supplements for regular work at night, on weekends and on public holidays for more than 20,000 doctors at 23 university hospitals. Another goal was to redesign the regulations for shift and alternating shift work. It is also about limiting these forms of service to a tolerable level, Andreas Botzlar, second chairman of the Marburg Federation, demanded in September last year.
“If the medical profession in university hospitals does not become significantly more attractive from a financial perspective, there is a risk of significant bottlenecks in university medical care and the loss of further medical training in university hospitals,” said Botzlar.
During collective bargaining, the doctors stopped work several times. According to the Marburger Bund, for example, around 7,000 doctors from 23 university hospitals took part in federal warning strike rallies on March 11th.
Who will the contract apply to?
According to the Marburger Bund, the collective agreement does not apply to a number of university hospitals because other collective agreements apply to doctors there. This includes Berlin, Hamburg and Hesse.
The TdL is the employers’ association of all federal states with the exception of Hesse and represents the states as employers in collective bargaining with unions. According to the TdL, the most important goal is the uniformity of working conditions in the public service.