2.700 Berlin Charité doctors go on strike for first time in 15 years

Thousands of doctors at the Charité hospital in Berlin have been called to go on strike on Wednesday, as part of an ongoing collective bargaining dispute. Only emergency services will be provided during the strike. 

Charité hospital in Berlin sees first doctors’ strike in 15 years

Staff at the German hospital will stage a 24-hour warning strike on Wednesday, involving around 2.700 doctors across the Mitte, Wedding and Steglitz locations. The doctors’ union Marburger Bund said ahead of the strike that a large proportion of staff were going to be taking part, rbb24 reports. 

The union said that it was the first time in 15 years that doctors at the largest university hospital in Europe have gone on strike. It comes just as GPs in Brandenburg are protesting against federal government financing plans by limiting their office hours. 

Doctors protesting against salaries and working conditions

According to rbb24, the strike in Berlin concerns collective bargaining arrangements over salaries. A Charité spokesperson told the radio programme that negotiations were “very complex but constructive” and that both sides were keen to find an agreement. 

Charité said it had presented a “differentiated package with offers for working hours and relief, further and advanced training, reducing bureaucracy and equality”, but the union’s core demand of a 6,9-percent salary increase with additional benefits for specialists and senior doctors has so far been rejected.