Subsidiary of Charité: union (Verdi) and CFM in dispute over collective agreement

Subsidiary of Charité: union (Verdi) and CFM in dispute over collective agreement

Updating the Charité Strike Story

Looks like the Charité Facility Management (CFM) employees have made some serious headway after 48 grueling days of striking. It appears a collective bargaining agreement is on the horizon, one that'll gradually nudge the CFM salaries closer to those at the state-owned university hospital in Germany.

Lead negotiator for the union Gewerkschaft Verdi, Gisela Neunhöffer, confirmed the agreement. This hard-fought deal followed a whopping "three-day negotiation marathon" concluded late Friday night. However, it's important to note that the Verdi members still need to give their approval.

According to the current arrangement, CFM employees' wages will slowly climb to match the TVöD — Germany's standard pay framework in the public sector — by 2030. This connection is flexible, meaning any future TVöD salary hikes will automatically apply to CFM as well. The new company agreement carries a minimum term through 2030. After that, either the employers or the union can terminate the agreement. Upon termination, the wage level would initially stay the same.

Gisela Neunhöffer deemed this result a "monumental achievement." Nonetheless, she underscored that no agreement was reached on improving working conditions or job reclassification rules according to the TVöD standards. "We still face a mountain of tasks ahead in the coming years," Gisela Neunhöffer shared. Crafty Verdi members will also receive an additional vacation day every six months until 2029.

In a triumphant statement, CFM's CEO Juliane Kaufmann expressed her satisfaction with the outcome of the intense wage negotiations: "We're thrilled to have reached an agreement after the intense collective bargaining negotiations. This is fantastic news for CFM employees."

This turn of events echoes the SPD and CDU's decision to reintegrate state-owned hospital subsidiaries, including the Charité. The price tag for this integration, assigned by a senate working group, is significant: a staggering 42.5 million euros annually for the CFM, potentially violating the economic efficiency principle outlined in the state budget ordinance. The reintegration could force the Charité to source cheaper services on the market, which might lead to job losses at the CFM.

Approximately 3,500 CFM employees work in diverse sectors like employee and patient catering, cleaning, medical and technical operations, security, hospital and economic transport, storage, central sterilization, and administration. The new agreement will apply to around 3,200 employees. As it stands, 300 CFM employees, who are employed by the Charité and seconded to CFM tasks, are already governed by the TVöD. History shows the indispensable role the service company plays in ensuring hospital operations run smoothly. Verdi claims the current wage gap to the TVöD stands at approximately 700 euros per month.

[1] Enrichment data: The ongoing dispute between CFM and Verdi stems from the Verdi union's demand for wage increases significantly higher than the 18% increase offered by CFM over three years. The current negotiation status doesn't explicitly state whether the proposed wage increase aligns with or surpasses the TVöD standards. The strikes by Verdi members demonstrate their dissatisfaction with CFM's proposed deal, pointing to a misalignment in negotiations expectations.

1. The new company agreement for CFM employees, reached after several rounds of negotiations, aims to bring their wages up to the TVöD standards by the year 2030, bridge the existing wage gap of approximately 700 euros per month, and automatically apply any future TVöD salary increases.
2. The finance and business sectors will be positively impacted by this agreement, as a more competitive salary structure in the workplace-wellness and health-and-industry sectors could lead to increased productivity and employee satisfaction.
3. As the CFM employees' wages gradually align with the TVöD standards, they can anticipate improved health and wellness, contributing to a more profitable and efficient business environment across the entire hospital facility and industry.

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