"We need public solidarity". Industrial action at Leipzig University Hospital

"We need public solidarity"

Industrial action in Leipzig: Interview with university hospital employees

This contribution was offered to us by the Care-AG of Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie. The Konzeptwerk has been an active cooperation organisation in the Care Revolution network for years. Various Care Revolution regional groups regularly participate in support alliances for care labour struggles; we are therefore pleased to have the opportunity to use this article from the Konzeptwerk website. The original can befound here.

Text and interview: Kleo Becker

Employees at Leipzig University Hospital (UKL) are in the middle of collective bargaining negotiations - which culminated in warning strikes in mid-January. But it didn't stop there: 30 colleagues travelled to the Saxon state parliament in their free time to confront Finance Minister Christian Piwarz and the negotiators directly with their demands.

They are demanding a seven per cent pay rise, but at least 300 euros a month. At the same time, they are criticising an increasingly dilapidated infrastructure and budget cuts in the healthcare sector. What does this mean for employees - and what is at stake from a social perspective?

For many, it's no longer just about percentages - it's about the question of the value of care work in this society and how much the Free State of Saxony actually values a functioning public healthcare system.

Kleo spoke to our colleagues Johanna and Frauke about this.

Kleo: What moods and feelings are you experiencing as strikers right now?

Johanna: The dispute is exhausting because we constantly have to explain and justify ourselves. For example, doctors at our clinic have contacted a local newspaper and accused us of not being able to carry out tumour operations because of our strikes - even though care is guaranteed by corresponding emergency service agreements. Managers are instructed in the hospital on how to prevent the strikes or nip them in the bud. That's why one of our main jobs in the labour dispute is to talk, talk, talk. Informing colleagues, formulating corrections to the press and winning over doctors in favour of our cause. It's a battle with many fronts. But we are also experiencing that the wage dispute is bringing us closer together as colleagues at the UKL. Suddenly, for example, someone from the operating theatre gets to know someone from the dermatology clinic on the picket line. In the end, we have the same concerns and challenges. That unites us and makes us stronger.

You did not receive an offer in either the first or the second round of negotiations - what support are you receiving from civil society and what do you need?

Frauke: The fact that we didn't receive a written offer from the employers until the 3rd round of negotiations is disrespectful. We need public solidarity and more information about how strikes work in hospitals. We are not jeopardising anyone - we are fighting for safe care and better working conditions. We are not striking to jeopardise our patients - on the contrary.

Civil society can make an important contribution to changing this narrative - for example through small and large-scale discussions or participation in strikes.

We are currently experiencing support from the alliance "Leipzig Stands Together", a coalition of people from civil society. Together, we are fighting for a better standard of living.

Your demands are not just about higher wages, but also about better working conditions in the healthcare sector. What improvements should there be?

Johanna: In my opinion, health as an object of capitalist goals is a questionable concept anyway. Apart from that, we need to reduce the workload by increasing staff numbers.

We need clear staffing ratios for every area of the hospital, and if staffing ratios are not adhered to, the hospital must be penalised. After night shifts, it is customary to have two days off, with the day off being one of these two days. On the third day, an early shift is already planned, which destroys the body. The current shift arrangements are making people ill.

There is a constant lack of equipment: Wheelchairs, blood glucose meters, bed linen etc. are regularly missing from everyday life. The age of digitalisation is already well advanced, but the UKL is not. We need faster PCs in order to be able to deal with the high volume of documentation in a timely manner. That's just a small selection of improvements that I need yesterday rather than tomorrow. If I were to brainstorm with colleagues, the list would be much longer.

The UKL and its employees are massively affected by cuts in the Saxon state budget. At the same time, companies are making record profits. The federal government's so-called special fund provides money for armaments and so-called infrastructure. Why do you think cuts are being made to social and health spending in particular?

Frauke: For me, it clearly shows political priorities. What should have what value in this society? Health is treated economically instead of as a public responsibility. If employees are overworked due to staff shortages and high workloads, the quality of care inevitably suffers. Good nursing and medical care need time, staff and good working conditions - and this also includes respectful pay.

Many employees in the care sector are FLINTA* employees and work in an area that is historically and structurally devalued. This devaluation is not only reflected in pay, but also in the attention paid to this area. In recent years, many employees have stood up to speak up for themselves. For example, in North Rhine-Westphalia, where colleagues fought for a collective bargaining agreement in a 77-day strike, or with the strong 48-day industrial action taken by colleagues at the Charité subsidiary CFM in Berlin in 2025 and achieved alignment with the collective bargaining agreement for the public sector.

There is enough money in Germany - it is a question of political will as to how money is distributed.

In concrete terms - how do cutbacks affect your everyday life? How do they affect your quality of life?

Johanna: The consequences of staff shortages are worrying. I'm not meeting the demands of my work and the needs of my patients. This affects the nursing culture, my own day-to-day stress levels and makes me question my career choice.

Services are so stressful that I adapt my life to work in my free time. I'm often unable to do anything before and after work because I've run out of energy - I can't go on like this.

If we were to meet again in a world where care work was recognised and well paid - what would your working day look like then?

Frauke: There would be enough staff, reliable duty rosters and time for good care. We could stay healthy in our profession in the long term, continue our training and really do justice to patients. Nursing work would be valued and remunerated in the same way as the work of a surgeon, for example. Carers would go home and be satisfied with their work, have time to regenerate, be able to rely on their rota and have enough energy for their lives outside of paid work. Even after 20 years, there would still be motivated nursing staff who would treat patients, trainees and relatives with dignity because they would also be treated with respect. There would be fewer hierarchies among the professional groups in the hospital, appreciative communication and therefore a more humane atmosphere. This would have a positive effect on everyone who works in the hospital. Grete Müller would then no longer be one number among many, but Grete Müller: a person with a face, her own wishes and behaviour, whom I would treat in exactly the same way.

Thank you for the interview!

If you want to support the UKL employees, follow them on Instagram: @bg_ukl