Warning strike at the Cottbus University Hospital: Big protest on July 3rd!

Warning strike at the Cottbus University Hospital: Big protest on July 3rd!

In Cottbus there will be a warning strike at the university hospital on July 3, 2025, a Tuesday. The ver.di union is planning a large rally at 8 a.m. in front of the main entrance on Leipziger Strasse, followed by a demonstration across Thiemstrasse and Welzower Strasse back to the clinic. The first strikers are expected from 6 a.m. and are expected to stand up for their rights until 10 p.m. Affected are non-medical employees and around 570 trainees who want to make their voices heard through this strike. ver.di's demand is clear: there should be an alignment of tariffs with the public service. This is reported by Niederlausitz Aktuell.

The warning strikes in the state of Brandenburg are taking place as part of ongoing collective bargaining for the public sector. These began on May 21, 2025. There was no proposal from employers in the first round of negotiations, and no agreement was reached in the second round on June 23rd. The employer's offer of June 16, 2025 fell short of the expectations of the union, which is demanding a wage increase of at least 8% or at least 350 euros per month for employees. In addition, an increase in training allowances and additional days off are required. In a petition, 1,235 employees supported ver.di's demands, while the pressure situation for employers remains tense. This is made clear by ver.di.

The background of a tense relationship

The employers are demanding a term of 36 months for the new collective agreement, while the unions are seeking more flexible handling of working hours and fair remuneration. The differences in pay for nursing staff compared to the collective agreement for the public service (TVöD) are particularly significant at around 4,230 euros. Therefore, pressure will grow on employers to be settled, even as negotiations are complicated by employers' tight financial situation and the noise surrounding upcoming elections. According to Tagesschau, the likelihood of further warning strikes could increase in the near future.

In summary, MUL-CT, which took over the Carl Thiem Clinic Cottbus on July 1, 2024, did not prevent the warning strike at the university hospital. An emergency service agreement was rejected, which means that emergency medical care must be provided by our own emergency services. The need for widespread and fair working conditions is becoming increasingly louder, especially at a time when the federal government has placed a 6% increase in hospital reimbursements from January 2025. The orientation of university medicine by 2038 is expected to cost 3.7 billion euros, with more than half of this being borne by the federal government.