As of: March 25, 2024, 11:52 a.m
By: Stefan Aigner
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They earn up to 45 percent less than their colleagues who are employed directly at the university hospital: those employed by the service company KDL.
© Heinz Neff
“One house, one tariff” is the demand of the employees of an outsourced low-wage company at the Regensburg University Hospital.
Not an isolated case.
Regensburg – After an “active break” at the beginning of March, around 120 employees of the hospital service company at the Regensburg University Hospital (KDL for short) got serious last week and went on their first warning strike on Wednesday.
Service company KDL: Two-class society at the Regensburg University Hospital
The KDL was founded in 2006.
The majority shareholder with 51 percent is the Regensburg University Hospital (UKR) and ultimately the Free State of Bavaria, the rest belongs to an investment company of the Regensburg plastering empire Götz.
Around 350 people are employed there – in the low-wage sector.
Because at the UKR there is a two-class society.
Unlike the other employees at the university hospital, the KDL employees are not subject to the federal state collective agreement, but rather the significantly worse framework tariff for the building cleaning trade.
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Service company KDL: Wages up to 45 percent lower than through direct employment at the university hospital
Depending on the length of employment, the wage difference can be up to more than 45 percent.
An example: an employee who has worked as a pick-up and delivery service for the university clinic for 24 years earns 2,080 euros per month through the KDL; through the state collective agreement it would be more than 3,000 euros.
Not yet taken into account: the holiday pay is significantly lower, and there is no annual special payment or Christmas bonus at KDL.
The demand is therefore: one house, one tariff.
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Low wages at service company KDL: “Poverty in old age is inevitable”
Strike leader Heinz Neff makes it clear: “The KDL employees do cleaning, transport and gardening work, they work in snow clearing and security services at the UKR.” Wage groups that are already in the lower range.
With the significantly lower pay via KDL, poverty in old age is inevitable.
There is no additional pension or company pension and the meager salary is not enough for private provision.
The majority of employees at this UKR service company are women and people with a migrant background.
Low wages through an outsourced company: other university hospitals also use this model
Nelly Nentschuk, chairwoman of the works council at KDL mbH, says: “Without our work, nothing works at the university hospitals.
But after their strenuous work in operating room cleaning, the scullery, the pick-up and delivery service or the ward service, many still have to do part-time jobs in order to make ends meet and feed their families.”
The low-wage model through outsourcing is not only used in Regensburg.
And it's not just here that employees have tried several times in vain to get employers to come to the table to negotiate a uniform tariff for everyone.
According to the ver.di union, in addition to Regensburg, the university hospitals in Erlangen and Würzburg, as well as the Klinikum Rechts der Isar, which is part of the Technical University of Munich, demanded collective bargaining for the outsourced service companies - without success.
“Tariff flight through outsourcing”: the Augsburg University Hospital is abandoning this model
Despite intimidation and attempts to keep them away from union actions and strikes reported by KDL workers, the pace is now being tightened.
Last week's warning strike is said to be followed by more.
By the way, service companies at university hospitals are not a mandatory legal requirement.
“The University Hospital of Augsburg proves that things can be done differently,” says Dr.
Robert Hinke.
In Augsburg, “tariff flight through outsourcing” has been avoided, according to the state department head for health and education at ver.di.
Service company KDL: Managing director is logistics manager at the university hospital
The construction of the KDL mbH at the Regensburg University Hospital generally seems quite remarkable.
The managing director of KDL is also employed directly at the university hospital as head of the logistics, purchasing and services administration department.
He earns a decent salary there through the federal states' collective agreement - in contrast to the employees for whom he is responsible.
His job as managing director of the KDL is apparently just a sideline thing for him anyway.
According to the most recently published annual report, she is paid just 5,000 euros annually.
Regensburg University Hospital: Pressure on employees due to horror forecast?
There are currently no signs of any concessions from employers at Regensburg University Hospital.
As reported in mid-February, the top management at UKR was presented with a horror scenario at an internal meeting at the end of 2023.
As a result, there is a risk of a deficit of over 45 million euros, the directors and board members were told.
In the course of research by the online magazine regensburg-digital, the medical director of the UKR, Professor Oliver Kölbl, put this forecast into perspective.
There was even talk of a “rumor” in the Regensburg-based Mittelbayerische Zeitung.
According to a current report by Bayerischer Rundfunk, Kölbl has now made it clear that the presentation - which, by the way, was the responsibility of the commercial director Sabine Lange - was intended to exert pressure and force internal savings measures.
Essentially, it's hard to understand it any other way, on the backs of the staff.
Medical director at Regensburg University Hospital: Horror scenario should “motivate”
“The aim was of course also to show the employees that efforts are necessary from all professional groups so that this 'worst-worst scenario' doesn't happen, that everyone makes an effort and is motivated and works well together,” Kölbl told BR .
This described call for motivation and effort is expressed very specifically in the internal minutes of the leadership retreat, which our editorial team has available.
It literally says:
“The previous UKR internal convention for defining the care key must be put to the test and should be adapted to the legal regulations.”
In other words: the care key should be worsened and additional burden and responsibility should be placed on the nursing staff.
Better pay for KDL employees is seen internally as a future risk
Things don't look much different when it comes to KDL mbH.
A wage adjustment for the people employed there is listed as a possible future risk for the UKR.
In view of the public debate about the presentation of the minus 45 million euro scenario, the Bavarian Ministry of Science in Regensburg is said to have intervened in the meantime - whether this is a positive development for the employees at UKR and KDL remains to be seen.
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