Gießen (dpa/lhe) – Around 200 employees of the privatized university hospital Gießen and Marburg (UKGM) went on a warning strike on Tuesday. The Verdi union had called on non-medical employees at UKGM to take a temporary break from the beginning of the early shift to the end of the late shift. A Verdi spokeswoman expected a total of around 300 participants over the course of the day. The actions are to be continued this Thursday (November 24). The care of the patients is meanwhile secured, said the spokeswoman. The clinic management had previously concluded emergency service agreements with Verdi.
For several months, the state of Hesse and the majority shareholder Rhön-Klinikum AG, which belongs to the Asklepios Group, have been struggling over the question of the future financial resources of the UKGM. The background is that the clinic operator had terminated a future agreement for the hospital in June. Verdi fears that important security for employees will expire. UKGM employees had already gone on warning strikes in July and August.
The chairman of the UKGM management, Gunther Weiß, said on Sunday: “Instead of going on strike, we should think about our strengths and experiences together in order to successfully lead the UKGM out of this crisis together.”