Charité Doctors Declare Strike Readiness as Pay Talks Stall in Berlin

Doctors at Berlin's Charité university hospital have signalled strong readiness to strike following an internal Marburger Bund poll. A union spokesperson confirmed the figures: 89 per cent of respondents said they would participate in a warning strike, while nearly 81 per cent indicated willingness to join an unlimited labour stoppage. The number of members who took part in the survey was not disclosed. Unconfirmed estimates suggest roughly two-thirds of the Charité's approximately 3,000 doctors belong to the Marburger Bund.

The physicians' union is demanding an eight per cent salary increase plus higher supplements for night, weekend and holiday shifts. Management has so far offered 3.7 per cent over 28 months. An entry-level assistant doctor currently earns around €5,800 gross per month. Regional union chief Peter Bobbert has argued that the demands simply reflect pay already agreed at other university hospitals without strikes, asking why the Charité would leave its doctors worse off than peers elsewhere. Further talks are scheduled for this week.

Nursing staff are adding to the pressure. The Charité board has already terminated its relief collective agreement (Entlastungstarifvertrag) with Verdi — which compensates nurses when wards are understaffed — and Verdi is now balloting its members on strike action. Results are expected on Friday; under Verdi's rules, at least 75 per cent of organised members at a given workplace must vote in favour before an unlimited strike can be called.

The hospital posted a deficit of 64 million euros in 2025, a shortfall expected to deepen under federal hospital reform. With Berlin's state government lacking a parliamentary majority after a recent election, financial support from the Senate is unlikely before a new coalition is formed.