For first time in history of Federal Republic, a Catholic institution is being striked. In front of Marien hospital in Saarland Ottweiler, more than twenty people gared at six o'clock in morning to begin a warning strike. The workers demanded better working conditions in nursing.

According to clinic management, seven to eight employees laid down ir work for early shift. The service union ver. It expects this number to rise to about twenty in course of day. It is unclear wher this is sufficient to disrupt operation decisively. The managing director of clinic, Günter Merschbächer, said strike was in void. "The routine operation is running."

Merschbächer left open wher strikers were threatening a warning. "We do not focus on labour law consequences, but on securing company." This is something that service provider side of Caritas's Labour Law Commission sees differently. The call for strike was Verantwortlungslos, criticized representatives of Social Association. There is no or choice but to refer employees to possible consequences of employment law. In ecclesiastical establishments, in principle, commissions from service providers and service-holders regulate questions of fare law.

The Caritas service providers called events in Marien Hospital hospital a "warning strike at wrong time in wrong place". Especially in past weeks and months, a lot has happened on subject of personnel assessment.

In ecclesiastical institutions may only be striked in exceptions

The hospital, which is about 120 beds, belongs to Marian House Foundation of Waldbreitbacher Franciscans, one of largest ecclesiastical institutions of social facilities in Germany. In recent years re have been some strikes in Protestant institutions, but not in Catholic ones. The Catholic employees ' representatives, which are similar to works councils in free economy, had to solidarity with employment decompositions without participating.

The Basic Law gives churches right to regulate ir affairs largely independently. The Constitution law and possibilities of strikes and lockouts do not apply to churches. Under severely restricted conditions, strikes could be allowed, but 2012 decided federal Labour Court.

The Saarland Landtag vice Isolde Ries criticized consensus-oriented, so-called third way in ecclesiastical labour law. "This particular route of churches is an aberration, right to strike is a fundamental right" said SPD politician at beginning of work-down in Ottweiler.

The third way was not a disadvantage for employees, managing director of Marien Group, Heinz-Jürgen Scheid, retorted. The staffing and working conditions in ecclesiastical establishments are very much attached to public service. Scheid showed an understanding of Ver. Di's critique of working conditions in nursing. Neverless, a strike is wrong means. The issue should be clarified at federal and state level. The clinics should also be able to finance more jobs in nursing.

Date Of Update: 12 October 2017, 12:06