Warning strike at HELIOS Hospital

HELIOS Hospital: Busy workers strike for more salary

11.03.2011

Many employees of the HELIOS clinics responded yesterday to Verdi's call for service and temporarily went on the warning strike. Today, further work stoppages will follow.

The employees of the HELIOS clinics have protested with a warning strike against the previous attitude of the Executive Committee in the previous collective bargaining. Many employees of the various HELIOS clinics stopped work yesterday. The service union Verdi had called for the warning strike to enforce a wage increase for the employees of HELIOS clinics in the current wage dispute.

Staff members of the HELIOS clinics are on strike
Hundreds of employees of the HELIOS clinics went on strike yesterday across Germany. For example, media reports of warning strikes at HELIOS Hospital Bad Saarow, Borna, Wuppertal, Breisach, Idstein and Titisee-Neustadt. The protest was enough of one „active lunch break“ as in the HELIOS Klinikum Wuppertal until the work stoppage with closure of the operating theaters in the HELIOS Klinikum Breisach. „Patients also showed solidarity“, said Verdi spokeswoman Gabriele Meyer. After the previous collective bargaining negotiations on the increase in fees at the HELIOS acute hospitals were inconclusive, as reported by the Executive Committee according to Verdi „zero offer“ came and „In addition, almost all claims were rejected“ Verdi called the staff of the HELIOS clinics on Thursday for a warning strike on. „We encourage employers to at least make offers to employees“, emphasized Frank Ploß, district manager at Verdi.

Verdi demands more salary for the HELIOS employees
The offer of the service union in the current collective bargaining is on the table. Verdi calls for the approximately 17,000 employees of the HELIOS clinics, among other things, the increase in wages and salaries, the increase in training allowances, higher standby service charges and night service surcharges and compensation arrangements for on-call services. Overall, the receivables package amounts to an increase of seven percent, said the service trade union. With the current strike call Verdi wants to increase the pressure on the Executive Committee before the next collective bargaining round on 14 March, to enforce the claims in the interests of the employees. „The employees of HELIOS Acute-Kliniken make a significant contribution to the success of the entire Fresenius Group. They also want to benefit from this materially“, stressed Verdi Federal Board member Ellen Paschke. „The work stoppages are a warning shot of the employees to the management“ Paschke declared and demanded „finally a negotiable offer“, otherwise the tariff dispute escalates. So far, according to Verdi, staff at HELIOS clinics are far worse off in wages and salaries than their civil servants.

Profit maximization in the health system
The root of the problem, as so often is the profit-making in the health system. Because with the privatization of clinics is usually accompanied by a change in personnel policy. In terms of profit maximization costs must be saved. If there is a clear increase in profits - as in the past few years at the HELIOS clinics - corresponding salary increases are rather the exception for the employees. The fact that Verdi is now calling for a wage adjustment in the interests of its employees in view of the significant increase in profits should not come as a surprise to the Executive Committee of HELIOS-Kliniken. But the warning strikes have made those responsible aware that they will probably not succeed with their policy of zero supply and outreach this time around. (Fp)

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Image: Stephanie Hofschlaeger