University hospitals: Doctors get more pay despite working fewer hours

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Demonstration in Hanover (archive image): Doctors at university hospitals have repeatedly stopped working during the wage dispute

Photo: Moritz Frankenberg/dpa

After a long struggle and several warning strikes, doctors at university hospitals receive ten percent more pay and at the same time have to work two hours less per week. The collective bargaining association of German states (TdL) and the Marburger Bund medical association have agreed on this.

According to the compromise, salaries will rise in a first step by four percent on April 1, 2024 and in a second step by six percent next year. In addition, the average weekly working time will be reduced from 42 to 40 hours - without any further reduction in salary. Doctors at the relevant university hospitals are now on an equal footing with their colleagues at other hospitals, where a 40-hour week has long been regulated in the collective agreement.

In addition to the improvements, Susanne Johna from the Marburger Bund also spoke of negative aspects of the deal. For example, a reorganization of the shift and alternating shift system was not up for negotiation. “The states’ persistent refusal to impose higher surcharges for services at inconvenient times is also particularly painful,” says Johna. Overall, however, the positive points outweigh the negatives.

According to the Marburger Bund, the agreement was actually reached at the beginning of the week, but it was only now that the collective bargaining committees on both sides voted for it. Monika Heinold, TdL negotiator and Schleswig-Holstein Finance Minister (Greens), said: "Both parties to the collective bargaining agreement have taken responsibility and reached a viable agreement in the fifth round of negotiations."

There were repeated warning strikes in the collective bargaining dispute for doctors at 23 university hospitals nationwide. The new collective wage agreement runs until March 31, 2026 and applies to more than 20,000 doctors. The agreement does not apply to a number of university hospitals because there are other collective agreements for doctors there - these include Berlin and Hamburg.

spr/dpa/AFP