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Healthcare in transition: MHH employees fight for relief!
MHH Hannover and Verdi agree on relief measures for employees to improve working conditions in health care.
Healthcare in transition: MHH employees fight for relief!
The healthcare system in Germany is facing major challenges, particularly in the area of working conditions for employees in clinics. A remarkable step in the right direction was taken at the Hannover Medical School (MHH), where employees fought for relief measures in collaboration with the Verdi union. Loud MHH The relief agreement (E-VE), which came into force on April 1, 2025, is intended to provide lasting relief for employees in the nursing and medical-technical services.
MHH Vice President Martina Saurin described the E-VE as a sign of appreciation and part of the employer's attractiveness. The agreement regulates, for example, minimum staffing levels on wards and load compensation for certain stressful situations that often arise in employees' everyday work. This includes short-term roster changes or assignments in other areas.
Burdens in the health sector
The MHH reports a record-breaking number of employees in the nursing and medical-technical services. However, there is still a great need for new skilled workers to meet the increasing workload. The E-VE stipulates that employees are entitled to compensation in the form of additional free time if they repeatedly fall short of the agreed minimum staffing levels. This was perceived as very positive for the employees because, as specialist nurse Veith Stahlheber reported, the workload could be noticeably reduced, even if the staffing in his intensive care unit did not noticeably improve Verdi supplemented.
His team has already accumulated over 100 days of compensatory time off. This not only shows the commitment of the employees, but also the pressure on the clinics to hire more staff. Compensatory time off not only helped employees, but could also be used as an incentive to recruit new employees. The Mainz University Hospital has already put this into practice by using the collective agreement on relief to attract and retain new staff. Without a doubt, this contributes to better care for patients.
Urgency of attracting skilled workers
Given the current situation in the healthcare system, the urgency to attract and retain skilled workers is growing. A study by PwC shows that an appropriate salary is the most important incentive for recruiting in nursing. The majority of 68 percent of those willing to change, unemployed people and graduates from the last three years cite pay as a crucial condition for staying in care until retirement.
Other important factors are better working hours, cited by 49 percent, and improved staffing, cited by 47 percent. These results make it clear that in order to remain competitive, clinics must offer salary incentives and better working conditions. Experienced specialists also place great value on such incentives, even if this is only mentioned by 41 percent.
Overall, it is clear that the implementation of relief measures and the targeted addressing of professional resources in the healthcare system do not represent short-term solutions, but are part of a comprehensive change process that is necessary to relieve the burden on employees and sustainably strengthen the healthcare system.