Warning strike in Cottbus: Nursing staff demand higher wages on July 3rd!

Warning strike in Cottbus: Nursing staff demand higher wages on July 3rd!

Something exciting is happening in the healthcare landscape of Cottbus. The Verdi union has for theJuly 3, 2025announced an all-day warning strike at the Medical University of Lausitz – Carl Thiem (MUL-CT). The approximately 2,350 non-medical employees and 570 trainees are supporting their protest for better working conditions and fairer remuneration.

The background is deadlocked collective bargaining, which took place onMay 21, 2025had begun. A first offer from employers onJune 16, 2025According to Verdi, it falls well short of the requirements. The nursing staff sometimes earn up to 4,230 euros less than their colleagues who are employed under the collective agreement for the public service (TVöD). Verdi is calling for alignment with this collective agreement and wants to enforce the same conditions as in other clinics, such as the Brandenburg an der Havel University Hospital or the Charité in Berlin. According to negotiator Ralf Franke, this is particularly important because an experienced nurse would earn over 4,000 euros less in two years than according to the TVöD.

Emergency service agreement as a safety net

Despite the warning strike, patients need not worry: an emergency service agreement is offered to ensure that emergencies continue to be treated. However, planned interventions that are not acute will be postponed on the day of the strike. Verdi appeals to the Brandenburg Science Minister Manja Schüle (SPD) and calls for support via an online petition.

MUL-CT was created in July 2024 from the Carl Thiem Clinic and is in the process of developing into a fully-fledged university medical facility. This conversion will be impressive3.7 billion eurosfunded, with over half of this amount being borne by the federal government. In this way, the first medical students should be able to start in the winter semester of 2026/27.

Where is the journey going?

With the strike on July 3rd and the tense situation in the negotiations, it is clear that MUL-CT employees are at a turning point. The next round of talks has not yet been scheduled, and the union's clear focus is on demands for alignment with working conditions in other clinics. If there is no agreement, the situation in Cottbus's health care system will probably remain in the public eye for a long time.

The developments surrounding collective bargaining and the announced warning strike clearly show that healthcare workers are standing up for their rights and appropriate remuneration. LR Online and DGB report on these developments while Mirror takes up the broader perspective of the topic.