Employees from hospitals in Chemnitz and the region have asked Federal Labor and Social Affairs Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) to make further efforts to ensure adequate pay and reasonable working conditions in the areas of health and social affairs. Given the shortage of staff in many clinic wards, a constant …
Employees from hospitals in Chemnitz and the region have asked Federal Labor and Social Affairs Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) to make further efforts to ensure adequate pay and reasonable working conditions in the areas of health and social affairs. In view of the shortage of staff in many clinic wards, a constant increase in work and the flight from collective agreements, as is currently the case with the merger of the municipal hospitals in the Ore Mountains, it is becoming increasingly difficult to attract young people, they made clear on Saturday afternoon in a public discussion group organized by the German Trade Union Confederation at the Red Tower in Chemnitz.
“It doesn’t work the way it is now. You can earn the same money in other industries – with far less effort,” said a young nurse from the Chemnitz Clinic. A representative of the staff at the Helios Clinic in Aue criticized the fact that there is often little time left on the wards for training the next generation in everyday work. Practice instructors often have to do their preparation and follow-up work at home in their free time, while despite additional qualifications they do not earn more than their colleagues. “You shouldn’t be surprised if trainees rattle through the exam under these conditions,” she said. A therapist from the hospital in Zschopau criticized the fact that many of her professional colleagues were only employed part-time. “Some only get by with part-time jobs,” she said.
Minister of Labor Heil pleaded for greater public responsibility for the issues of health and care. Private hospital groups would have to cut back their profit expectations, and municipal institutions would have to be a role model in terms of collective bargaining and working conditions. In order to finance rising costs, he strongly advocated the introduction of a citizens’ insurance into which everyone pays. “Solidarity on this issue must be stronger,” said the social democrat.
At the same time, he warned against playing off relatives against caregivers, especially in inpatient care for the elderly. Background: Many home operators justify the increase in the own contributions to be borne by the relatives time and again with rising wage costs. One affected person reported that she had received three such increases within a year from the operator of the nursing home in which her elderly mother lived. “Always with the same reason.”