The nationwide protests against healthcare budget cuts are set to continue into the coming week, according to the service union Verdi. Workers in various service sectors at hospitals and nursing facilities are scheduled to hold actions across the country starting Monday.
Under the banner of “Visible. Indispensable. Nothing runs without service staff,” employees at over 120 hospitals and care facilities are highlighting the critical importance of service departments for maintaining quality care. Sylvia Bühler, a member of the Verdi national executive board, stressed the serious implications of inadequate staffing, cautioning that “if a hospital is not properly cleaned and disinfected, it could lead to loss of life in the worst-case scenario.”
Bühler also criticized that many providers have been outsourcing workers to subsidiary companies to reduce costs and subsequently offer them worse pay. This trend is feared to be exacerbated by the ongoing reduction plans outlined by the Federal Minister of Health, Nina Warken (CDU). Consequently, Verdi is demanding better working conditions and “appropriate, contractually guaranteed wages” for the employees involved.
