Medical Professionals' Earnings within Healthcare Institutions
Medical personnel in city hospitals are pushing for a substantial wage hike and revised work hour regulations. Compared to other careers, they currently enjoy high pay. However, the income can be draining. Employers, by contrast, mention potential hospital bankruptcies as a consequence.
Patients were left with emergency care on a recent Monday. Thousands of doctors staged a strike to strengthen their position during ongoing wage negotiations, which will carry on the next day. Alongside new regulations for work hour schedules and subsequent overtime compensation, the Marburger Bund union is advocating for an 8.5% rise in base pay.
Doctors are the most generously compensated professional group in Germany, with an average annual gross income of approximately 95,000 euros, as indicated by the job portal Stepstone. They earn more than double the typical average German salary. The income varies significantly depending on specialization, region, and notably, position and experience level. Senior doctors can earn up to 125,000 euros, whereas entry-level doctors earn less than half that amount.
In hospitals, salaries fall short of those for self-employed doctors. In municipal hospitals, entry-level doctor salaries currently stand at around 5,300 euros monthly, escalating to around 6,800 euros after six years of service. Practitioners receive around 7,000 euros after additional training and can boost this to around 9,000 euros every two years from the 13th year. Starting salaries in private hospitals are commonly higher.
10,000 euros per month for top-level doctors
Significant income discrepancies can be observed in leadership roles. Senior doctors in municipal hospitals begin at approximately 8,700 euros monthly and may reach nearly 10,000 euros following an intermediate step by the seventh year. The starting salary for senior leaders, capable of representing the chief physician, is around 10,300 euros, increasing to around 11,000 euros by the second year. Chief physicians negotiate individual salaries outside the collective agreement.
In addition to base pay, approximately 60,000 doctors in municipal hospitals earn overtime compensation for work performed during the night, on Sundays, and holidays. During the ongoing wage dispute, the Marburger Bund is seeking not just higher base pay but also increased remuneration for on-call duties, more stringent rules for timely scheduling, and shift differentials for work outside 7:30 AM and after 6:00 PM - thus reshaping shift work. "We aim to finally address this outdated system, as it's literally impacting doctors and is no longer sustainable," said union vice-president Andreas Botzlar following the second round of negotiations in the summer.
"Hospitals are drowning in debt"
Employers' association - the organization of municipal employers' associations - views the demands as "excessive" and "unaffordable." The strike lacks justification. Implementing all demands together would result in a 20% increase in costs over a 12-month period. "Our hospitals would not be able to financially sustain this and may go bankrupt in the worst-case scenario," said lead negotiator Dirk Köcher on Friday. "Municipal hospitals are literally drowning in debt." In April, doctors' salaries had risen by 4%, followed by an additional 4.8% hike in July 2023.
Doctors, however, highlight the heavy workload. Around 90% of them frequently feel exhausted, according to a report by the "Ärzteblatt" two years ago, citing a survey by the Marburger Bund among approximately 3,300 doctors in municipal hospitals. One-fifth, consequently, has a firm intention of pursuing a professional future beyond the clinic. The workload increased even further during the pandemic.
"Whoever thinks they can burden us even more, we say: Not on our watch," union leader Susanne Johna proclaimed at the central rally during the warning strike, as per the German Press Agency. A resolution is unlikely to emerge from the negotiations on Tuesday: Wednesday is already listed. Further strikes have also been threatened.
The economic impact of the ongoing wage negotiations and work hour changes in city hospitals is a concern, with some employers predicting potential hospital bankruptcies due to the increased costs. Despite doctors being the most generously compensated professionals in Germany, they argue that their income is draining and seek an 8.5% wage hike, along with improved work conditions.
