Two nurses from the Dachau Clinic tell how much of the appreciation from the population and politics remained at the beginning of the corona pandemic.
Dachau
- Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) called the caregivers “everyday heroes” in May.
It was a time of gratitude, every evening people clapped the caregivers at the windows and on the balconies.
The nurses at the Dachau Clinic were also overwhelmed by all the snacks, cakes with the words "Thank you", the 700 pizzas for all employees or sweets that were handed in at the gates of the hospital - as appreciation for all the overtime, the danger to be infected with Covid-19 for all the efforts they put in every day during this pandemic.
That was in the spring.
But what is left of this special appreciation?
The applause from the windows has long since died down.
And in the clinics, too, the situation seems to resemble the situation before the outbreak of the pandemic.
"We are feeling more indifference again," says Petra M. (name changed), a nurse at the Amper Clinic.
Gestures of gratitude are probably a thing of the past
“Our work is taken for granted.
Patients discuss with us the mask requirement - but we're the ones whose ears are sore from the masks. "The special small and big gestures of gratitude are probably a thing of the past in Dachau as well:" Those who have always been appreciative , are still.
Those who demand and do not want to or cannot wait are not now either ”, adds her colleague Martina T.
Spring was not only the time of great appreciation for the nursing staff, but also the time of great promises - keyword Corona bonus.
Nursing staff received a cooking box from the clinic
Ultimately, Bavaria was, along with Schleswig Holstein, one of the only two federal states in which a bonus for nursing staff was actually paid: a one-time fee of 500 euros, tax-free.
The application was possible until the end of June and was easy, report the two Dachau nurses.
Those who submitted the application in May received the money a short time later - those who took too long are sometimes still waiting for the bonus today.
Some had to apply a second time.
From the Amper Clinic itself, all nursing staff received a cooking box with ingredients for Italian food as a gift in recognition of their commitment.
It is arguable whether 500 euros and food is an appropriate appreciation for all the hard work and the risk that the nurses bear every day - however, the nurses themselves make it clear that they are not interested in higher bonuses or more packed lunches: “It It is about politics and society seeing the fundamental problem.
It is not enough to applaud us nurses or give one-off bonus payments.
Better working conditions would be most appropriate, "says Petra M .." We chose the profession and were aware that there can also be pandemics. "
Nurses want better working conditions
Better working conditions, in other words: adequate failure management, the right to have a say, realistic minimum staffing levels.
“A few weeks ago we were heroes, we received great praise from politics, which promised us a lot.
Now nursing emergency seems to be just a word again. "
But there is reason to hope that these were not just empty promises.
At the weekend, employers and unions reached an agreement in the public sector wage dispute - with what it seems at first to be a remarkable result: Nursing workers can expect up to 8.7 percent more wages.
According to the service union ver.di, this means in concrete terms: a nurse in the hospital with currently a gross monthly income of around 3540 euros earns around 300 euros more per month with the newly agreed allowances.
Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, chief negotiator, called the agreement “a historic breakthrough that gives employees the appreciation they deserve”.
"Profession is chosen for reasons that have nothing to do with money or recognition"
The nurses are critical of this: "I only see it as a compromise, but not as an appreciation," says Petra M .. "This profession is chosen for reasons that have nothing to do with money or recognition," says her colleague.
A higher salary alone will not be enough to end the nursing emergency: “The work we do to pay better is definitely fair.
However, that doesn't change the working conditions. "
Paula Kühn