Strikes at Charité subsidiary: 3,500 employees demand fair wages!

Strikes at Charité subsidiary: 3,500 employees demand fair wages!

Berlin, Deutschland - On May 29, 2025, the Ver.di union called up the employees of Charité Facility Management (CFM). This step takes place according to unproductive collective bargaining, in which the employer side has not presented a specific offer. According to a report by rbb24 , the negotiations have come to a standstill after the previous strike ended early on Saturday. Ver.di complains that despite three days of intensive discussions, no progress was made and call for the CFM and the Charité to end the delay tactics.

Around 3,500 employees of the CFM, which are responsible for medical technology, ambulance and cleaning, are now facing an indefinite strike. The 5th round of negotiations, which is seen as the last chance for an agreement, could be crucial to avert a major labor. In the last four rounds, the union's demands have been rejected, and a constructive answer on the part of the employer failed to materialize, such as ver.di reported.

inequality of working conditions

A central concern of the CFM employees is to align their payment to that of the Charité workforce, which is paid for the public service according to the collective agreement. CFM employees are currently working under significantly worse conditions. Gisela Neunhöffer, the negotiator of ver.di, emphasized that an indefinite industrial action will follow without a breakthrough in the upcoming round of negotiations.

Mehmet Yilmaz, a dispatcher in the CFM's patient transport, has highlighted the system relevance of the work of its colleagues and sharply criticized the inadequate working conditions. The CFM is a subsidiary of Charité and is responsible for central infrastructural services such as logistics, cleaning and technology. Although a integration of the CFM into the Charité in the coalition agreement of the Berlin Senate, it continues to be pending.

background and demands

The increase in wages is part of the wider efforts of ver.di to improve working conditions in the healthcare system. Last warning strikes, as on March 6, 2025, have shown that the union calls for a salary increase of 8 % or at least 350 euros per month. In addition to the wage increase, ver.di also requires an improvement in working conditions, including three additional free days and flexible working time models. This dissatisfaction is widespread in the health sector, where stagnating wages and high workloads burden employees.

The pressure on the employer is expected to increase in order to remain competitive and bind personnel. It remains to be seen whether the upcoming negotiations can offer a way out of the current situation, or whether the CFM employees have to enforce their claims by a permanent strike.